Ammoximation of Cyclohexanone on TS

The ammoximation of cyclohexanone had been known before the discovery of TS-1, but the performances of conventional catalysts were far below the standards required for development work. In the EniChem process, the reaction is carried out in the liquid phase, at ca. 80°C, using a suspension of TS-1 in aqueous t-butanol, with a slight excess of hydrogen peroxide over the ketone. The substrate and the oxidant undergo total conversion with selectivities close to 98% and 94%, respectively. Inorganic by-products comprise minor amounts of ammonium nitrate and nitrite, N2O, and N2 produced by the oxidation of ammonia, and O2 by the decomposition of the oxidant. 

Ammoximation on its own represented a great simplification in the production of -caprolactam, and the catalyzed Beckman rearrangement introduced by 

A process based on the ammoximation of cyclohexanone and on the catalyzed rearrangement of the oxime went on stream in Japan in 2003 it allows the salt-free production of s-caprolactam, at lower investment and operating costs than by conventional routes. 

Discussion Point DP4 Hydrogen peroxide is often defined a green oxidant since water is the by-product of its oxidations. Considering its synthesis, how green is H2O2 in comparison to air or pure oxygen  

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