Selective aerobic oxidation of para-xylene in sub- and supercritical water. Part 1. Comparison with ortho-xylene and the role of the catalyst

• Published in: Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC 2011-01, Vol.13 (9), p.2389-2396
• Main Authors: PEREZ, Eduardo, FRAGA-DUBREUIL, Joan, GARCIA-VERDUGO, Eduardo, HAMLEY, Paul A, BARRY THOMAS, W, HOUSLEY, Duncan, PARTENHEIMER, Walt, POLIAKOFF, Martyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysis; Catalysts: preparations and properties; Chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Heterocyclic compounds; Heterocyclic compounds with o, s, se, te hetero atom and condensed derivatives; Kinetics and mechanisms; Noncondensed benzenic compounds; Organic chemistry; Preparations and properties; Reactivity and mechanisms; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
• ISSN: 1463-9262; 1463-9270
• DOI: 10.1039/c1gc15137a

The selective, continuous, aerobic oxidations of para-xylene (pX) and ortho-xylene (oX) were performed in an identical fashion in supercritical water. The xylenes were oxidized without a catalyst and with hydrobromic acid, cobalt(ii) and manganese(ii) bromide catalysts. The conversions and yields to phthalic acid (OA) from oX were always significantly higher than those for terephthalic acid (TA) from pX. The formation of CO2 was significantly higher for pX than oX despite the higher conversions to oX. These results are unexpected because the literature teaches that thermal and catalytic decarboxylation is much higher for OA than TA. The superior yields from oX are consistent with a lower steady-state concentration of hydroxyl radicals, OH[radical dot] due to the internal, concerted attack of the peroxides with the oX methyl group. This mechanism forms the phthalide directly from o-tolualdehyde (oTOL) which is consistent with the observation that ortho-toluic acid (OTA) is much lower in oX than para-toluic acid, PTA, in pX oxidation. This mechanism also lowers the steady-state concentration of aromatic acids consistent with the observed lower benzoic acid and CO2 yields. Overall, the results suggest that the metal catalysts can play more than one role, thereby opening up the opportunity for discovering new catalytic synergies which are explored in our next paper, Part 2 of this series.