Environmental issues hydrogen peroxide

We report here three studies that address three separate but significant issues in the emerging area of selective catalytic oxidation by TMSP-type complexes. The first study establishes for the first time that some TMSP complexes are compatible with basic oxidants and basic conditions. The second study reports the first oxidation, in this case selective alkene epoxidation, by the economically and environmentally desirable oxidant, aqueous hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by TMSP complexes. The third study demonstrates that redox active polyoxometalates can be derivatized with alcohols in a manner that should prove useful for fabricating future generations of more sophisticated and selective TMSP catalysts. 

The production of paper is the largest and fastest growing single application of hydrogen peroxide. This growth has fundamentally been driven by environmental issues, and a large quantity of new and improved technology has now been devised in response to this demand. 

An issue which deserves further mention is the environmentally fiiendly nature of TS-l/H Oj system. It involves the use of a safe silica based catalyst, titanium silicalite, and a reagent, hydrogen peroxide, which yields water as the coproduct. This holds for the in situ route illustrated in Scheme I and also for the epoxidation of propylene with preformed hydrogen peroxide, either used as an aqueous solution (72) or extracted by means of die epoxidation solvent (Scheme 11). Hazardous chemicals, such as chlorine, performic or other organic peracids, are not required in the process. The disposal of chlorinated salts or the recycle of brine (chloroydrin process) and any possible burden resulting from the coproduction of odier chemicals (styrene and r-butanol in the hydroperoxide route) are eliminated. The liquid phase oxidation of isobutane and ethylbenzene with air under pressure and at high temperature, to produce... 

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