Butyric aldehyde from butanol

Several species of bacteria under suitable conditions cause / -butyraldehyde to undergo the Canni22aro reaction (simultaneous oxidation and reduction to butyric acid and butanol, respectively) this reaction can also be cataly2ed by Raney nickel (7). The direct formation of butyl butyrate [109-21 -7] or isobutyl isobutyrate [97-85-8](Vish.ch.erik.o reaction) from the corresponding aldehyde takes place rapidly with aluminum ethylate or aluminum butyrate as catalyst (8). An essentially quantitative yield of butyl butyrate, CgH2 02, from butyraldehyde has been reported usiag a mthenium catalyst, RuH,[P(C,H,)3], (9). 

The hydroformylation reaction, also known as the oxo reaction, is used extensively in commercial processes for the preparation of aldehydes by the reaction of one mole of an olefin with one mole each of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The most extensive use of the reaction is in the preparation of normal- and iso-butyraldehyde from propylene. The ratio of the amount of the normal aldehyde product to the amount of the iso aldehyde product typically is referred to as the normal to iso (N I) or the normal to branched (N B) ratio. In the case of propylene, the normal- and iso-butyraldehydes obtained from propylene are in turn converted into many commercially-valuable chemical products such as n-butanol, 2-ethyl-hexanol, trimethylol propane, polyvinylbutyral, n-butyric acid, iso-butanol, neo-pentyl glycol,... 

Taylor and Flood could show that polystyrene-bound phenylselenic acid in the presence of TBHP can catalyze the oxidation of benzylic alcohols to ketones or aldehydes in a biphasic system (polymer-TBHP/alcohol in CCI4) in good yields (69-100%) (Scheme 117) °. No overoxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids was observed and unactivated allylic alcohols or aliphatic alcohols were unreactive under these conditions. In 1999, Berkessel and Sklorz presented a manganese-catalyzed method for the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to the corresponding carboxylic acids and ketones (Scheme 118). The authors employed the Mn-tmtacn complex (Mn/168a) in the presence of sodium ascorbate as very efficient cocatalyst and 30% H2O2 as oxidant to oxidize 1-butanol to butyric acid and 2-pentanol to 2-pentanone in yields of 90% and 97%, respectively. This catalytic system shows very good catalytic activity, as can be seen from the fact that for the oxidation of 2-pentanol as little as 0.03% of the catalyst is necessary to obtain the ketone in excellent yield. 

It is rather difficult to assess which peaks are generated exclusively from the poly(vinyl butyral) component and which are generated from the other components. It is likely that the acetic acid is formed from the acetate. Other components are consistent with the decomposition of the acetal that behaves somehow similar to an ether. However, the formation of the hydrocarbon (butane) is significantly reduced, as well as that of the alcohol (butanol). On the other hand, the formation of the corresponding aldehyde (butanal) is significant. 

Butanol is vaporized and passed over a copper catalyst08 for the purpose of dehydrogenation to aldehyde. The aldehyde is separated from the products by fractionation and oxidized to butyric acid in the liquid state with air or oxygen in the presence of a catalyst such as manganese butyrate. With a copper tube yi inch in diameter and packed for 26 inches with fused cupric oxide 240 cc. of butanol per hour may be treated with a 75 per cent conversion per pass.04 At temperatures of 220° to 280° C. the yields of aldehyde are good. At 370° C. only about one-sixth of the aldehyde that forms is decomposed. 

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