Autoxidation styrene

In oxygen-saturated solution, the activation energy was found to be 70 kJ mole" In contrast to metal-assisted, radical-initiated autoxidations, styrenes having methyl or phenyl substituents at the olefinic positions are resistant to oxidation under these conditions. 

Thermal Oxidative Stability. ABS undergoes autoxidation and the kinetic features of the oxygen consumption reaction are consistent with an autocatalytic free-radical chain mechanism. Comparisons of the rate of oxidation of ABS with that of polybutadiene and styrene—acrylonitrile copolymer indicate that the polybutadiene component is significantly more sensitive to oxidation than the thermoplastic component (31—33). Oxidation of polybutadiene under these conditions results in embrittlement of the mbber because of cross-linking such embrittlement of the elastomer in ABS results in the loss of impact resistance. Studies have also indicated that oxidation causes detachment of the grafted styrene—acrylonitrile copolymer from the elastomer which contributes to impact deterioration (34). 

Autoxidation of alkanes generally promotes the formation of alkyl hydroperoxides, but d4-tert-huty peroxide has been obtained in >30% yield by the bromine-catalyzed oxidation of isobutane (66). In the presence of iodine, styrene also has been oxidized to the corresponding peroxide (44). 

By-products formed during their preparation (e.g., ethylbenzene and divinyl-benzenes in styrene acetaldehyde in vinyl acetate) added stabilizers (inhibitors) autoxidation and decomposition products of the monomers (e.g., perox-... 

Polymer immobilization. Mo-peroxide, 427 Polymerization agents, 621, 622 peroxide value, 661, 662 peroxycarboxyUc acids, 698 radical polymerization, 697, 707 styrene, 697, 720 sulfonyl peroxides, 1005 thermochemistry, 155 Polymers aging, 685 autoxidation, 623 hydroperoxide determination, 685 Poly(methacrylonitrile peroxide)... 

Howard and Ingold (7) proposed participation of a first-order termination reaction in the autoxidation of styrene. If such contributions from first-order terminations are real and widespread in autoxidation, more knowledge about them becomes essential. 

Tables I and II include data for the co-oxidations of styrene and butadiene in chlorobenzene and ferf-butylbenzene solutions, as well as with no added solvent. These solvents were chosen because the rate of oxidation of cyclohexene varies significantly in them at the the same rate of initiation (6). There is a variation in the over-all rate of oxidation under these solvent conditions, but there appears to be no significant difference in the measured ra and rb (Table II). If the solvent does affect the propagation reaction in autoxidation reactions, it affects the competing steps to the same degree.

Similarly, cobalt(ll)-pyridine (CoPy) complexes bound to copolymers of styrene and acrylic or methacrylic acid, cross-linked with divinylbenzene, catalyze the autoxidation of tetralin dispersed in water at 50°C and 1 bar.45 The rate of oxidation with the colloidal CoPy catalyst was twice as fast as with homogeneous CoPy and nine times as fast as with cobalt(II) acetate in acetic acid. 

In a variation on this theme cobaltphthalocyaninetetrasulfonate (CoPcTs) was bound via the anionic sulfonate groups to styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer latexes containing quaternary ammonium ions.46 The resulting colloidal catalyst was used to effect the autoxidation of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol in aqueous solution, to the corresponding diphenoquinone (reaction 21). The rate of oxidation was ten times faster than with homogeneous CoPcTs in water. 

This group covers polymeric peroxides of indeterminate structure rather than polyfunctional macromolecules of known structure. These usually arise from autoxidation of susceptible monomers and are of very limited stability or explosive. Polymeric peroxide species described as hazardous include those derived from butadiene (highly explosive) isoprene, dimethylbutadiene (both strongly explosive) 1,5-p-menthadiene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene (both explode at 110°C) methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, styrene (all explode above 40°C) diethyl ether (extremely explosive even below 100°C ) and 1,1-diphenylethylene, cyclo-pentadiene (both explode on heating). 

Styrene autoxidation in chlorobenzene, 3QUC. Reference QO. b Methyl linoleate autoxidation in t-butanol, 37°C. Reference 92. c Ethylbenzene autoxidation in o-dichlorobenzene. 25°C. 

Further evidence against initiation by direct oxygen activation in the oxidation of olefins is provided by the following two observations.185 First, no reaction was observed between olefins (e.g., cyclohexene, 1-octene, and styrene) and metal-dioxygen complexes, such as I, II, and V, when they were heated in an inert atmosphere (nitrogen). Second, no catalysis was observed with these metal complexes in the autoxidation of olefins, such as styrene, that cannot form hydroperoxides. 

Aryl-substituted enolizable keto compounds initiate the copolymerization of unsaturated polyesters with styrene. Gel times of the same order as those obtained with conventional peroxide initiators can be attained exotherms, however, are considerably lower, this latter effect being of technological interest—e.g., casting resins. Since a radical mechanism has been proved, it is postulated that radicals result from keto hydroperoxides which have been formed from the aryl-substituted enols via autoxidation. Steric effects and resonance may partly account for differences in the catalytic activity of some and for the inhibiting effect of other ketones and enols. NMR spectroscopy indicates further that cis-trans isomerism may influence the catalytic effectiveness of pure enols. 

Small but significant effects of solvent polarity were found in the autoxidation of a variety of alkenes and aralkyl hydrocarbons [216-220] (styrene [216, 218, 219], ethyl methyl ketone [217], cyclohexene [218], cumene [218, 219], tetralin [219], etc.). An extensive study on solvent effects in the azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN)-initiated oxidation of tetralin in a great variety of solvents and binary solvent mixtures was made by Kamiya et al. [220],... 

Figure 13. (a, b) Schematic representation of the oxidation pathways using redox molecular sieves (a) homolytic free radical autoxidation and (b) heterolytic oxygen transfer, (c) Oxidation of styrene to styrene oxide and transformation to 2-phenylacetaldehyde using a bifunctional Ti-silicalite catalyst. 

TBHP vide supra). The autoxidation of EB is performed at 120-160 °C and 1- bar. MBA and acetophenone (ACP) are formed as by-products via the facile termination of the secondary 1-methylbenzylperoxy radicals. In order to minimize by-product formation by further oxidation of MBA and ACP, the autoxidation is carried out to only low conversions (< 12 %). This solution (ca. 10 %) of EBHP in EB is used in the epoxidation step, i.e., EB is the solvent for the latter step. A high propene/EBHP molar ratio is used and reaction conditions are similar to those of the TBHP process vide supra). The PO selectivity is reported to be 90 % at 92 % EBHP conversion [30] but in practice it may be higher. For comparison the heterogeneous Ti /SiOa catalyst in fixed-bed operation reportedly gives 93-94 % PO selectivity at 96 % EBHP conversion [11]. The products are separated by distillation and MBA is dehydrated to styrene in the vapor phase over a Ti02 catalyst. 

Several sulfur analogs (XI, XII) were also synthesized and their reactivities measured during inhibition of styrene autoxidation. The stoichiometric factors, n, were less than 2 for these compounds, so their antioxidant activities were reported as n x values. Compounds XII are compared with a-Toc and hydroxychromans in Table 4. It is seen that in all cases the activities of the sulfur analogs are lower than the vitamin E class. 

The reactions of phosphites with peroxy radicals continue to attract attention because of the use of phosphites as anti-oxidants. The autoxidation of a variety of hydrocarbons, e.g. tetralin, cumene, styrene, and cyclohexane, is inhibited by zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (60). In order to assess the reactivity... 

Figure 4. Inhibition of autoxidation of styrene by N-oxyls and hydroxylamines.

For example, the cobalt(II) complex for phthalocyanine tetrasodium sulfonate (PcTs) catalyzes the autoxidation of thiols, such as 2-mercaptoethanol (Eq. 1) [4] and 2,6-di(t-butyl)phenol (Eq. 2) [5]. In the first example the substrate and product were water-soluble whereas the second reaction involved an aqueous suspension. In both cases the activity of the Co(PcTs) was enhanced by binding it to an insoluble polymer, e.g., polyvinylamine [4] or a styrene - divinylbenzene copolymer substituted with quaternary ammonium ions [5]. This enhancement of activity was attributed to inhibition of aggregation of the Co(PcTs) which is known to occur in water, by the polymer network. Hence, in the polymeric form more of the Co(PcTs) will exist in an active monomeric form. In Eq. (2) the polymer-bound Co(PcTs) gave the diphenoquinone (1) with 100% selectivity whereas with soluble Co(PcTs) small amounts of the benzoquinone (2) were also formed. Both reactions involve one-electron oxidations by Co(III) followed by dimerization of the intermediate radical (RS or ArO ). 

The autoxidation of alkylbenzenes constitutes the industrial route for the production of the corresponding hydroperoxides. The two well-known examples are the production of 1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide in the Shell and ARCO processes for the co-production of styrene and propene oxide, and the production of cumene hydroperoxide for the production of phenol via the Hock process (1,2) A disadvantage of the Hock-process is the co-production of acetone. One possible alternative involves the use of cyclohexylbenzene (CHB) in Scheme 1. 

We turned our attention next to the autoxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) to the corresponding hydroperoxide (EBHP) which constitutes the first step in the SMPO (styrene monomer propene oxide) process for the co-production of styrene and propene oxide from ethylbenzene and propene (Scheme 7). The overall selectivity to propene oxide obviously depends on the selectivity to EBHP in the first step, which is believed to be 80-85% in the commercial process. This is lower than for cumene as a result of secondary (in the case of EB) versus tertiary (in the case of cumene) C-H bond oxidation. The main byproduct in the autoxidation of ethylbenzene is acetophenone (16). From an economic viewpoint die production of acetophenone should be kept as low as possible. 

We have developed an effective method for the selective autoxidation of alky-laromatic hydrocarbons to the corresponding benzylic hydroperoxides using 0.5 mol% NHPI as a catalyst and the hydroperoxide product as an initiator. Using this method we obtained high selectivities to the corresponding hydroperoxides, at commercially viable conversions, in the autoxidation of cyclohexylbenzene, cumene and ethylbenzene. The highly selective autoxidation of cyclohexylbenzene to the 1-hydroperoxide product provides the basis for a coproduct-free route to phenol and the observed inq)rovements in ethylbenzene hydroperoxide production provide a basis for in roving the selectivity of the SMPO process for styrene and propene oxide manufacture. 

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