Engineering and Safety Considerations

Give four examples of industrially important oxidation reactions that employ homogeneous catalysts. What are the fundamental mechanistic characteristics of these reactions  

Ethylene to acetaldehyde, cyclohexane to adipic acid, p-xylene to tere-phthalic acid, and propylene to propylene oxide. For the first, redox chemistry of palladium and nucleophilic attack on coordinated ligand. For the second and third, radical chain, and for the fourth, oxygen atom transfer. 

Write the overall stoichiometries for ethylene to acetaldehyde, ethylene to vinyl acetate, and butene to methyl ethyl ketone by Wacker-type reactions. In each case write separately all the individual redox steps. 

Sum reactions 8.1 to 8.3. Write reactions similar to 8.1 with HOAc in place of water, and butene in place of ethylene. All the other steps remain the same. 

Identify reaction steps in Fig. 8.2 that illustrate the concepts of (a) the trans effect, (b) nucleophilic attack on a coordinated ligand, (c) insertion of alkene into an M-H bond, and (d) intramolecular electron transfer. 

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