Mechanistic Insights into the Conversion of Cyclohexene to Adipic Acid by H2O2 in the Presence of a TAPO‐5 Catalyst

Abstract

In the Communication by J. M. Thomas et al. in 1 misleading statements were made in the first two sentences. The correct version is: “The current, widely used and environmentally harmful industrial method of producing adipic acid (2) first entails the oxidation of cyclohexane in air, to a mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone using a homogeneous cobalt-containing catalyst. This mixture is then oxidized by nitric acid to adipic acid with extensive liberation of the greenhouse gas N2O.[1, 2]” This replaces the passage: “The current, widely used and environmentally harmful industrial method of producing adipic acid (2) first entails the oxidation of cyclohexane by nitric acid (with extensive liberation of the greenhouse gas N2O) to a mixture of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone.[1, 2] This mixture is then rather inefficiently converted to adipic acid (and some other products) using a homogeneous cobalt-containing catalyst.” It has been drawn to the authors' attention (by Dr. J. H. Teles, BASF) that in current industrial practice in the production of adipic acid using nitric acid as an oxidant, the nitrous oxide liberated is decomposed to oxygen and nitrogen prior to release into the atmosphere, thereby avoiding environmental damage from this source.