And given its tendency to be oxidized, I wouldn't bee surprised one bit if
acetaminophen might substitute for hydroquinone in a pinch....
I read somewhere that calcium acetate can be used to produce p2p from phenylacetic acid. This is a much more attractive option to my mind than lead or acetic anhydride.
Perhaps one could perform the operation sequentially--after acidic hydrolysis of phenylacetic acid and H2O2 precipitation of sulfur, the mixture would be filtered to remove sulfur, leaving a mixture of ethanol, water, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and phenylacetic acid.
A small amount of copper sulfate or MnO2 (or KMnO4) would be added, to catalyze the destruction of the remaining H2O2, (either turning it to O2, or oxidizing the ethanol to acetic acid), then the requisite amount of calcium base (lime or chalk) could be added, and an appropriate quantity of vinegar, and the whole shebang distilled to remove all fluids. This would strip off the ammonia, alcohol, and water. Then, once the last bit of water left, the reciever could be changed, and a vacuum applied. P2P would start to be collected, until the reaction completed.
Since this implies even a one-pot reaction is possible, it might minimize contact with the foul phenylacetic acid. No acetic anhydride necessary.
One might be tempted to take the p2p collected and throw in some oxalic acid or formic acid and ammonia, for a leuckart reaction, following Zealot's fine instructions. How delicious!
Well, that's enough wild speculation from me