Aerobic Oxidation of 2‑isopropyl‑1,4‑dimethylbenzene to tertiary hydroperoxide

Abstract

Abstract: The regularities of aerobic oxidation of isopropyl-para-xylene to tertiary hydroperoxide in the environment of standard industrial initiators, as well as N-hydroxyphthalimide as catalyst are studied. A mechanism of liquid-phase catalyzed oxidation of isopropyl-para-xylene is discussed. Keywords: oxidation, 2,5-xylenol, hydroperoxide, N‑ hydroxyphthalimide. Introduction Liquid-phase oxidation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons forms the basis for promising methods of obtaining various oxygen compounds — (alkyl)phenols and aliphatic ketones, which are widely used in synthesis of polymeric substances with a range of useful properties.The “cumene” method of phenol and acetone production and the styrene and propylene oxide co-synthesis (Halcon process) have been thoroughly researched and are widely used in industry. The key stage in these processes is the liquid-phase initiated oxidation of isopropylbenzene (IPB) or ethylbenzene to respective hydroperoxides (HP) [1, 2].This important direction of organic synthesis can be broadened by using other alkylaromatic hydrocarbons and their HPs.This paper discusses the study of liquid-phase selective oxidation of 2- -isopropyl1,4dimethylbenzene (IPX) to tertiary HP, which -forms the basis of synthesis of 2,5xylenol, a -large volume oil synthesis product, which is applied in production of vitamin E, plasticizers, paint and coatings, and disinfectants, according to the scheme: