Liquid-Phase Benzene Oxidation to Phenol with Molecular-Oxygen Catalyzed by Cu-Zeolites

Abstract

The oxidation of benzene to form phenol using cuprous chloride as a catalyst has been reported by Sasaki and his co-workers, who used reaction system oxygen molecules as the oxidant. Takehira and his co-workers have studied benzene oxidation with molecular oxygen catalyzed by Cu(II) salts in the presence of ascorbic acid. Cu ion-exchanged zeolites have been reported to be useful as catalysts for the gas-phase oxidation of some organic materials, and copper ions in zeolites have been indicated to have redox properties according to physicochemical measurements. Armed with this knowledge, the authors have tried the liquid-phase oxidation of benzene with molecular oxygen under atmospheric pressure at room temperature using Cu ion-exchanged zeolite catalysts in the presence of ascorbic acid as a reducing reagent for Cu ions. The catalytic behavior of the Cu zeolites for the benzene oxidation was compared with that of nonanchored cupric and cuprous chloride catalysts. Also, some Cu catalysts impregnated on some amorphous oxide supports, in addition to the zeolites, were tested as catalysts for benzene oxidation with molecular oxygen. 13 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.