Cumyl Alcohol Research Articles

Management of selected waste generated during cable production

The subject of the research was the recovery of raw materials from waste generated in the production of cable insulation and the management of aluminum sludge. It was found that 49% (w/w) acetophenone, 6.8% (w/w) α-methylstyrene, and 17.2% (w/w) cumyl alcohol can be recovered from waste with a loss on ignition of 95% and used in various industries. A gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrometry detector was used to identify the recovered compounds. A waste distillation process was proposed to remove the water layer and obtain a concentrated acetophenone fraction. A method of neutralizing the water fraction and distillation residues is presented. The proposed waste management method is an alternative method to the currently used thermal transformation method. In turn, aluminum sludge was used to produce aluminum sulfate, which was used in the plant’s sewage treatment plant as a coagulant. The effect of this action was a reduction of 67% in the content of total iron, 60% of trivalent iron, and 32% of chemical oxygen demand. The above-mentioned examples of waste management are part of a closed-loop waste management strategy.

Selective electro-oxidation of cumene utilizing a flow reactor equipped with diamond electrodes

Although oxidation of benzylic C(sp3)−H bonds is an important process for synthesizing biologically active compounds, the reactions generically require hazardous reagents, catalysts, and harsh conditions. Since electro-organic synthesis utilizes electricity itself as a reagent, reactions can proceed well even under ambient conditions. Herein, we report a selective oxidation of cumene in an electrochemical flow reactor. Cumyl alcohol was selectively obtained under optimum amount of charge and current density. The selective oxidation of cumene to cumyl alcohol was achieved because overoxidation of cumyl alcohol into acetophenone was suppressed by the electrochemical flow reactor.

Influence of an external electric field on the rupture force of decane, 4-decanone, and dicumyl peroxide molecules: Computational insight

To clarify the degradation of the electrical insulation ability of polymeric materials at the molecular level, the effects of an external electric field on the rupture of molecules were evaluated using quantum chemical calculations. Two molecular models were evaluated with the aim of elucidating the physicochemical background of realistic insulation deterioration factors, namely, the effect of oxidation and impurities. The first model was used to evaluate the effect of oxidative degradation of alkane molecules on the C–C bond; maximum rupture force of the C–C bonds of decane and 4-decanone were compared, and it was found to decrease by approximately 13.8 %. It was also clarified that the maximum rupture force changes depending on the applied direction of the external electric field. The second model was used to examine the effect of an external electric field on the decomposition of dicumyl peroxide, which is a cross-linking agent for cross-linked polyethylene. In the decomposition process of dicumyl peroxide, the rupture of cumyl alcohol was found to be strongly influenced by an external electric field. Because the decomposition of cumyl alcohol involves dehydration, it is likely to induce the initiation and propagation of water trees in polyethylene. Therefore, it is important to remove the cumyl alcohol before applying a high voltage.

Interaction Effects of Three Major Crosslinking Byproducts on Space Charge Accumulation in Polyethylene

In order to quantitatively analyze the interaction effects of crosslinking byproducts on charge characteristics in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE), samples are prepared by soaking additive-free untreated polyethylene in three major byproducts, namely acetophenone (A), cumyl alcohol (C), and a-methylstyrene (M), and space charge measurement under relatively low electric fields of 3, 5, 7, and 10 kV/mm is carried out. The results show that the effect of C on space charge accumulation is comparable with that of A per unit byproduct content, and M exhibits the weakest effect. It is related to the different dissociation degrees of byproducts under different electric fields. An exponential fitting formula is proposed to clarify the significant synergistic and the antagonistic effects of the byproducts on charge accumulation. The synergistic effects on charge accumulation is obvious in LDPE-MC (LDPE soaked in the blend of M and C) at 3,7, and 10 kV/mm, but not at 5 kV/mm, and the LDPE-AC (LDPE soaked in the blend of A and C) shows the same rule at 5, 7, and 10 kV/mm, except for 3 kV/mm. The LDPE-AM (LDPE soaked in the blend of A and M) has antagonistic effects on charge accumulation at 5, 7, and 10 kV/mm, and shows a trend from synergistic effects to antagonistic effects at 3 kV/mm. For LDPE-ACM (LDPE soaked in the blend of A, C and M), synergistic effects are dominant at 3, 5 and 7 kV/mm, then antagonistic effects are obvious at 10 kV/mm. The different rule on space charge accumulation may be due to the discrepant charge injection under different electric fields according to the results of charge distribution with individual byproducts.

Polystyrene Biodegradation by Tenebrio molitor Larvae: Identification of Generated Substances Using a GC-MS Untargeted Screening Method.

A GC-MS method has been applied to screen and evaluate the generation of chemical compounds during the biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) with Tenebrio molitor larvae. Several resulting compounds have been identified, including trimers 2,4,6-triphenyl-1-hexene and 1,3,5-triphenylcyclohexane, the volatiles acetophenone and cumyl alcohol, and 2,4-di-tert butylphenol, a non-intentionally added substance (NIAS) present in the plastic material. The PS monomers styrene and α-methyl styrene were also identified in the extracts. Bioactive molecules present in the biomass of the studied insects were identified, such as the free fatty acids myristic, palmitic, and oleic acid. Undecanoic acid was also found, but in lower mass fractions. Finally, biochemically formatted amides resulting from their respective fatty acids were identified, namely tetradecanamide, hexadecanamide and oleamide. The formation of all these substances seems to suggest enzymatic and biochemical activity occurring during the biodegradation of PS, and their amounts varied throughout the experience. The overall degradation rate of PS resulted in a 13% rate, which highlights the potential of biorecycling using these insects.

Numerical Study of CH4 Generation and Transport in XLPE-Insulated Cables in Continuous Vulcanization.

In this work, we apply a computational diffusion model based on Fick’s laws to study the generation and transport of methane (CH) during the production of a cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated cable. The model takes into account the heating process in a curing tube where most of the cross-linking reaction occurs and the subsequent two-stage cooling process, with water and air as the cooling media. For the calculation of CH generation, the model considers the effect of temperature on the cross-linking reaction selectivity. The cross-linking reaction selectivity is a measure of the preference of cumyloxy to proceed either with a hydrogen abstraction reaction, which produces cumyl alcohol, or with a -scission reaction, which produces acetophenone and CH. The simulation results show that, during cable production, a significant amount of CH is generated in the XLPE layer, which diffuses out of the cable and into the conductor part of the cable. Therefore, the diffusion pattern becomes a non-uniform radial distribution of CH at the cable take-up point, which corresponds well with existing experimental data. Using the model, we perform a series of parametric studies to determine the effect of the cable production conditions, such as the curing temperature, line speed, and cooling water flow rate, on CH generation and transport during cable production. The results show that the curing temperature has the largest impact on the amount of CH generated and its distribution within the cable. We found that under similar curing and cooling conditions, varying the line speed induces a notable effect on the CH transport within the cable, while the cooling water flow rate had no significant impact.

Space charge dynamics of acetophenone and cumyl alcohol and their synergistic effect in LDPE

Acetophenone and cumyl alcohol, main crosslinking byproducts, will accelerate the loss of insulation life of the polyethylene-insulated high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. In this paper, the individual and mutual effects of these two byproducts on the space charge dynamics of low density polyethylene (LDPE) were studied by space charge measurement, and an interaction model was further proposed to explain their mutual effects. The space charge patterns were measured below 10 kV/mm to minimize the interference of the injected charge from the electrode. For the individual effect, the dissociation threshold of byproducts with electric field applied was investigated to determine the electric field where space charge begin to accumulate, combined with conductivity measurement as a further indicator. For their mutual effect, the interaction model was established based on the experimental results. Particularly, a synergistic effect was discovered in the coexistence system.

Selective Oxidation of Cumene to the Equivalent Amount of Dimethylbenzyl Alcohol and Cumene Hydroperoxide

The dicumyl hydroperoxide (DCP) process, based on the condensation of cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) and cumyl alcohol (CA) with DCP, is currently used worldwide for DCP synthesis, which produces large...

Characteristics and Mechanism of Styrene Cationic Polymerization in Aqueous Media Initiated by Cumyl Alcohol/B(C6F5)3

AbstractStyrene cationic polymerizations initiated by cumyl alcohol (CumOH)/B(C6F5)3 are systematically studied in aqueous suspension and emulsion. Theoretical calculations and experimental research suggest that CumOH/B(C6F5)3 has higher initiating activity than H2O/B(C6F5)3. During emulsion polymerization of styrene, molecular weight and polymerization rate decrease with the addition of surfactants. These polymerization processes share the same features. Specifically, all elemental reactions (initiation, propagation, and termination) in aqueous media occur at the droplet interface. End structure analysis indicates that chain transfer reactions to water and a‐proton elimination and chain transfer reactions to monomer occur. The possible mechanism for the styrene cationic polymerization in aqueous media is demonstrated.

Catalytic Alkyl Hydroperoxide and Acyl Hydroperoxide Disproportionation by a Nonheme Iron Complex

Alkyl hydroperoxides are commonly used as terminal oxidants because they are generally acknowledged to be stable toward disproportionation compared with H2O2. We show that alkylperoxide disproportionation is effectively catalyzed by the [Fe(tpena)]2+ (tpena = N,N,N′-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylendiamine-N′-acetate). A peroxidase-type mechanism, in other words, involvement of iron(IV)oxo species, is consistent with the rates and product distribution. Accordingly, O2, tert-butanol, and cumyl alcohol are concurrently produced for substrates tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide, respectively, in the presence of [Fe(tpena)]2+ with O2 yields of 88% and 44%, respectively. Rate constants for initial O2 production ([Fe] 0.005 mol %) were measured to 3.66(6) and 0.29(3) mM s–1, respectively. Participating in the mechanism are spectroscopically detectable (UV–vis, EPR, resonance Raman) transient alkyl- and acyl-peroxide adducts, [FeIIIOOR(tpenaH)]2+ [R = C(CH3)3, C(CH3)2Ph, C(O)PhCl; T1/2 = 30 s (5 °C), 20 s (5 °C), 1 s (−30 °C)] with their common decay product [FeIVO(tpenaH)]2+. Concurrently organic radicals proposed to be ROO• were detected by EPR spectroscopy. A lower yield of O2 at 23% with an initial rate of 0.10(3) mM s–1 for the disproportionation of m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid is readily explained by catalyst inhibition by coordination of the product m-chlorobenzoic acid. Oxidative decomposition of the alkyl groups by a unimolecular β-scission pathway, favored for cumene hydroperoxide, competes with ROOH disproportionation. Despite the fact that the catalytic disproportionation is effective, external C–H substrates—when they are present in excess of ROOH—can be targeted and catalytically and selectively oxidized by ROOH using [Fe(tpena)]2+ as the catalyst.

Controlled Catalytic Chain Transfer Polymerization of Isobutylene in the Presence of tert-Butanol as Exo-Enhancer

Catalytic chain transfer polymerization (CCTP) of isobutylene in the presence of alcohol as an exo-enhancer with tert-butyl chloride/ethylaluminum dichloride (EADC)·bis(2-chloroethyl) ether (CEE) has been investigated in hexanes at 0 °C. Increasing exo-olefin content was observed with increasing steric bulkiness of the alkyl group of the alcohol, i.e., tert-butyl > isopropyl > methyl. Here, we report that tert-butanol (t-BuOH) is an excellent exo-enhancer compared to other tert-alcohols such as tert-amyl alcohol (AmOH), 2-methyl-2-pentanol (MPOH), and 3-ethyl-3-pentanol (EPOH). The aromatic tert-alcohol cumyl alcohol was not an exo-enhancer but acted as an initiator. In the reaction of EADC.CEE and t-BuOH, t-butoxyaluminum dichloride (t-BuOAlCl2) was formed, which is the real exo-enhancer and is not stable at room temperature. Molecular weights were virtually unchanged in the presence t-BuOAlCl2 with [t-BuOAlCl2]:[EADC.CEE] < 0.5, and exo-olefin content increased ∼15% relative to polymerization in the abs...

Substitution of an amino acid residue axially coordinating to the heme molecule in hexameric tyrosine-coordinated hemoprotein to enhance peroxidase activity

To convert an originally tyrosine-coordinated heme to histidine-coordinated heme in hexameric tyrosine-coordinated hemoprotein, HTHP, Tyr45, a residue coordinating to the heme cofactor, and Arg25 located in the distal site are replaced with Phe45 and His25, respectively in each of the subunits of the protein. The obtained HTHP mutant (HTHP[Formula: see text] was characterized by SDS-PAGE, ESI-TOF MS, dynamic light scattering measurements and size exclusion chromatography. These analyses indicate that HTHP[Formula: see text] maintains its stable hexameric structure with the altered ligation of each of the heme cofactors. Comparison of UV-vis absorption spectra of the ferric-, ferrous-, CO- and CN-forms of HTHP[Formula: see text] with those of several well-known His-ligated hemoproteins indicates that heme is coordinated by the His25 residue. The reaction of HTHP[Formula: see text] with cumene hydroperoxide produces both cumyl alcohol and acetophenone in a 2.3:1 ratio, indicating that heterolytic O–O bond cleavage dominantly occurs to form the two-electron oxidized species known as compound I. Peroxidase activity of HTHP[Formula: see text] is found to follow Michaelis–Menten kinetics. The [Formula: see text] values of HTHP[Formula: see text] for H[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]-dependent oxidation of ABTS and guaiacol are 10- and 100-fold higher, respectively, than those of wild type HTHP (HTHP[Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] values of HTHP[Formula: see text] for both substrates are increased 30-fold relative to that of HTHP[Formula: see text]. Moreover, HTHP[Formula: see text] is capable of promoting catalytic sulfoxidation of thioanisole with H[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] with a turnover number ca. 2-fold higher than that of HTHP[Formula: see text]. The present findings demonstrate that proximal His ligation to the heme is significantly effective to increase the peroxidase activity in the HTHP matrix.

Interactions between a phenolic antioxidant, moisture, peroxide and crosslinking by-products with metal oxide nanoparticles in branched polyethylene

Polyethylene composites based on metal oxide nanoparticles are emerging materials for use in the insulation of extruded HVDC cables. The short-term electrical performance of these materials is adequate, but their stability for extended service needs to be assessed. This study is focussed on the capacity of the nanoparticles to adsorb polar species (water, dicumyl peroxide and byproducts from peroxide-vulcanisation, acetophenone and cumyl alcohol) that have an impact on the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites, the oxidative stability by adsorption of phenolic antioxidants on the nanoparticles and the potential transfer of catalytic impurities from the nanoparticles to the polymer. The adsorption of water, dicumyl peroxide, acetophenone, cumyl alcohol and Irganox 1076 (phenolic antioxidant) on pristine and coated (hydrophobic silanes and poly(lauryl methacrylate)) Al2O3, MgO and ZnO particles ranging from 25 nm to 2 μm was assessed. Composites based on low-density polyethylene and the particles mentioned (≤12 wt.%) were prepared, the degree of adsorption of Irganox 1076 onto the particles was assessed by OIT measurements, and the release of volatile species at elevated temperature was assessed by TG. The concentration of moisture adsorbed on the particles at 25 °C increased linearly with both increasing hydroxyl group concentration on the particle surfaces and increasing relative humidity. Dicumyl peroxide showed no adsorption on any of the nanoparticles. Acetophenone and cumyl alcohol showed a linear increase in adsorption with increasing concentration of hydroxyl groups, but the quantities were much smaller than those of water. Irganox 1076 adsorbed only onto the uncoated nanoparticles. Uncoated ZnO nanoparticles that contained ionic species promoted radical formation and a lowering of the OIT. This study showed that carefully coated pure metal oxide nanoparticles are not likely to adsorb phenolic antioxidants or dicumyl peroxide, but that they have the capacity to adsorb moisture and polar byproducts from peroxide vulcanisation, and that they will not introduce destabilizing ionic species into the polymer matrix. Low contents of dry, equiaxed ZnO and MgO particles strongly retarded the release of volatile species at temperatures above 300 °C.

C–H bond activation with Ge-oxyl complex generated by photoinduced-electron-transfer of di(hydroxo)porphyrin GeIV complex

Visible-light irradiation of MeOH solution containing di(hydroxo)tetraphenylporphyrin atogermanium(IV) complex ( tppGe ( OH )2; 1a), cumene, and Fe 3+ ion ( Fe ( NO 3)3) as an electron acceptor gave cumyl alcohol as an oxidative product along with Fe 2+ ion as a reductive product. The quantum yield (Φox) and turn over frequency (TOF) for the formation of cumyl alcohol was 0.033 and 111.1 h-1, respectively. The addition of KOH aqueous solution (1 mM) into reaction solution led to an increase of Φox to 0.047. The free energy change (ΔG) with electron transfer from excited triplet state (31a*) to Fe 3+ was estimated as a large negative value (-1.37 eV). Furthermore, in 1a-photosensitized oxidation of MeOH in the presence of K 2 PtCl 6 as an electron acceptor, formaldehyde ( HCHO ) was formed in Φox = 0.034 and TOF = 120.0 h-1. The isotope effect for the formation of HCHO (Φox(H)/Φox(D) = 5.04) was observed when MeOH -d4 was employed as an substrate. Both formation of cumyl alcohol and formaldehyde was not observed at all in the case of photosensitized reactions by tppGe ( OMe )2 (1b) having two axial methoxo ligands. These findings indicate the photosensitized reaction was initiated by photoinduced electron transfer from 31a* to Fe 3+ or K 2 PtCl 6 to generate porphyrin radical cation (1a+•), which underwent a proton dissociation of hydroxo axial ligand to give tpp ( OH ) Ge - O • ( Ge -oxyl complex) as key intermediate. The Ge -oxyl complex oxidized substrates through a hydrogen-atom abstraction. It is strongly suggested that 1a can act as a good sensitizer for being able to activate C – H bond of organic compounds.

Insights into the Mechanism of Cumene Peroxidation Using Supported Gold and Silver Nanoparticles

Due to the considerable industrial implications, an in-depth study of cumene peroxidation using supported gold and silver nanoparticles was carried out to gain more insight into the mechanism of this reaction. Supported gold nanoparticles were found to efficiently catalyze the decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide with a selectivity of 25% at 80 °C when using gold supported on hydrotalcite (AuNP@HT), and 2-phenyl-2-propanol (i.e., cumyl alcohol) was the main product. Further, silver nanoparticles supported on hydrotalcite (AgNP@HT) converted cumene to cumene hydroperoxide at 80 °C with 80% selectivity. Both benchtop and oxygen-uptake experiments were used to probe the reaction mechanism and suggest that formation of a peroxyl radical-nanoparticle adduct is an important step in the peroxidation pathway and may be directly involved in the formation of the major cumyl alcohol product.

Polymerization of Isobutylene by AlCl3/Ether Complexes in Nonpolar Solvent

The carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB), co-initiated by AlCl3/ether complexes, has been reexamined and extended to different dialkyl ethers. In the absence of a proton trap, 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (DTBP), the polymerization of IB by the cumyl alcohol (CumOH)/AlCl3·nBu2O initiator/co-initiator system in dichloromethane/hexanes (80/20 v/v) at −40 °C gave high conversion to polyisobutylene (PIB) comprising exo-olefins with high selectivity, similar to that reported before by Vasilenko et al.(1, 2) However, in the presence of DTBP, polymerization was absent, suggesting that CumOH is not an initiator in conjunction with AlCl3·Bu2O, and the true initiator is adventitious water. Similarly, in the presence of DTBP in hexanes at 0 °C, polymerizations were absent not only with CumOH but with CumCl, tert-butanol, and 2-chloro-2,4,4-trimethylpentane. The polymerization of IB could be initiated only with adventitious water in the absence of DTBP, but monomer conversions and exo-olefin content (60–70%)...

Analysis of space charge formation in LDPE in the presence of crosslinking byproducts

Cross-linking byproducts are suspected to be the main contributing factor in space charge formation observed in XLPE. To investigate the mechanism behind this phenomenon, low density polyethylene was soaked into three main crosslinking byproducts, acetophenone, α-methylstyrene and cumyl alcohol, and space charge measurements were performed using the Pulse Electroacoustic technique (PEA). It has been found that soaking LDPE in cumyl alcohol introduces more charges into the system, with homocharges and heterocharges accumulating within the sample compared to the additive free sample. In contrast, α-methylstyrene and acetophenone reduce the amount of accumulated charges. In terms of charge decay, all three byproducts enhance the decay process in the insulator. Further investigations were conducted in conditions where two byproducts are present in a sample. The results shows that acetophenone is a dominant byproduct in determining the charge density patter built up during the charging process, whilst the rate of charge decay is observed to be high in the presence of α-methylstyrene in the sample.

Solvent-free oxidation of cumene by molecular oxygen catalyzed by cobalt salen-type complexes

Co(salen)-type [where salen = di-(salicylal)-ethylenediimine] complexes were shown to be efficient catalysts in the oxidation of 2-phenylpropane (cumene) by dioxygen primarily to 2-phenyl-2-propanol (cumyl alcohol), 2-phenylpropene (α-methylstyrene), and 1-phenylethanone (acetophenone) applying 1H NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The effect of substitution on the ligand was also monitored in both oxygen-absorption and the catalytic reaction. Based on these results, the trend observed for the production of α-methylstyrene and cumyl alcohol were parallel to dioxygen uptake by the catalyst in neat cumene, while acetophenone productions obeyed a non-linear trend. The best selectivity for the reaction in terms of acetophenone production was observed for the complex with the least oxygen-absorption feature. The intermediate of the reaction, LCo(III)-OOcumyl (where L = salen) complex, was synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis, and its reactivity in the present catalytic reaction was also studied. A series of experiments were performed to propose a mechanism for the reaction on the basis of the product distributions in the reaction mixture.

Photochemical Activation of Ruthenium(II)–Pyridylamine Complexes Having a Pyridine-N-Oxide Pendant toward Oxygenation of Organic Substrates

Ruthenium(II)-acetonitrile complexes having η(3)-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) with an uncoordinated pyridine ring and diimine such as 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm), [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+), reacted with m-chloroperbenzoic acid to afford corresponding Ru(II)-acetonitrile complexes having an uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm, [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA-O)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+), with retention of the coordination environment. Photoirradiation of the acetonitrile complexes having diimine and the η(3)-TPA with the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm afforded a mixture of [Ru(II)(TPA)(diimine)](2+), intermediate-spin (S = 1) Ru(IV)-oxo complex with uncoordinated pyridine arm, and intermediate-spin Ru(IV)-oxo complex with uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm. A Ru(II) complex bearing an oxygen-bound pyridine-N-oxide as a ligand and bpm as a diimine ligand was also obtained, and its crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. Femtosecond laser flash photolysis of the isolated O-coordinated Ru(II)-pyridine-N-oxide complex has been investigated to reveal the photodynamics. The Ru(IV)-oxo complex with an uncoordinated pyridine moiety was alternatively prepared by reaction of the corresponding acetonitrile complex with 2,6-dichloropyridine-N-oxide (Cl(2)py-O) to identify the Ru(IV)-oxo species. The formation of Ru(IV)-oxo complexes was concluded to proceed via intermolecular oxygen atom transfer from the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide to a Ru(II) center on the basis of the results of the reaction with Cl(2)py-O and the concentration dependence of the consumption of the starting Ru(II) complexes having the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide moiety. Oxygenation reactions of organic substrates by [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA-O)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+) were examined under irradiation (at 420 ± 5 nm) and showed selective allylic oxygenation of cyclohexene to give cyclohexen-1-ol and cyclohexen-1-one and cumene oxygenation to afford cumyl alcohol and acetophenone.

A New Method for the Detection and Quantification of Residual Volatiles in XLPE Electrical Cable Using Large-Spot Raman Spectroscopy

The residual products of the cross-linking process for high-voltage (HV) and medium-voltage (MV) cable materials are manifold but the two most important byproducts are cumyl alcohol (CA) and acetophenone (AC). Due in part to the presence of these byproducts, cables must be degassed for several days at elevated temperature before the product can be shipped, possibly limiting production throughput. There are few analytical means available to conveniently monitor the quantities of these byproducts during degassing. In this paper, we describe the use of a recently developed technology and enhanced measurement technique that employs large-spot Raman spectroscopy for the quantification of CA and AC. The sampling involves the use of an incident laser spot which can range from 1 to 6 mm in diameter to facilitate the achievement of accurate quantitative results. This approach would allow monitoring of degassing so that an accurate, results-oriented specification could be set for the shipment of HV and MV cable products following production. As such, this methodology has the potential to facilitate better product consistency among manufacturers.