Aromatic hydrocarbon oxidations

Peroxytnfluoroacetic acid is used tor numerous oxidations of saturated hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds It oxidizes alkanes, alkanols, and carboxylic acids with formation of hydroxylation products [29] Oxidation of cyclohexane with peroxytnfluoroacetic acid proceeds at room temperature and leads to cyclohexyl trifluoroacetate in 75% yield, 1-octanol under similar conditions gives a mixture of isomeric octanediols in 59% yield, and palmitic acid gives a mixture of hydroxypalmitic acids in 70% yield [29]... 

Titov claims that the free radical mechanism applies for nitration of aliphatic hydrocarbons, of aromatic side chains, of olefins, and of aromatic ring carbons, if irf the latter case the nitrating agent is ca 60—70% nitric acid that is free of nitrous acid, or even more dil acid if oxides of nitrogen are present... 

Dicarbonyls. A third area of uncertainty is the treatment of dicarbonyls formed from aromatic or terpene hydrocarbon oxidation. (The simplest is glyoxal, CHOCHO, but a large number have been identified, 47. The yields and subsequent reactions of these compounds represent a major area of uncertainty in urban air photochemistry (186) and since they may be a significant source of HOjj through photolysis, inaccuracies in their portrayal may result in errors in calculated values of HO. and HO2.. 

Acceptors of peroxyl radicals (phenols, hydroquinones, aromatic amines) retard hydrocarbon oxidation, terminating the chains (see Part II). 

The synergistic action of a phenol and aromatic amine mixture on hydrocarbon oxidation was found by Karpukhina et al. [16]. A synergistic effect of binary mixtures of some phenols and aromatic amines in oxidizing hydrocarbon is related to the interaction of inhibitors and their radicals [16-26]. In the case of a combined addition of phenyl-A-2-naphthylamine and 2,6-bis(l,l-dimethylethyl)phenol to oxidizing ethylbenzene (v, = const, 343 K), the consumption of amine begins only after the phenol has been exhausted [16], in spite of the fact that peroxyl radicals interact with amine more rapidly than with phenol (7c7 (amine) = 1.3 x 105 and /c7 (phenol) = 1.3 x 104 L mol 1 s respectively 333 K). This phenomenon can be explained in terms of the fast equilibrium reaction [27-30] ... 

Fischer-Tropsch A process for converting synthesis gas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) to liquid fuels. Modified versions were known as the Synol and Synthol processes. The process is operated under pressure at 200 to 350°C, over a catalyst. Several different catalyst systems have been used at different periods, notably iron-zinc oxide, nickel-thoria on kieselgtihr, cobalt-thoria on kieselgiihr, and cemented iron oxide. The main products are C5-Cn aliphatic hydrocarbons the aromatics content can be varied by varying the process conditions. The basic reaction was discovered in 1923 by F. Fischer and... 

Chemical resistance is generally good up to 60°C but polyethylenes are attacked by oxidizing acids, chlorinated solvents, certain oxidants, aromatic hydrocarbons. 

PPSU alloys have the best hydrolytic stability, thermal stability and oxidation resistance. This resin is resistant to mineral acids and alkalis, while ketones, chlorinated hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons may cause stress cracking. 

The inhibition of hydrocarbon oxidation by aromatic tertiary amines which contain no labile hydrogen, such as N,N-dimethylaniline and N,N,N, N -tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, has been assigned to an electron-transfer process. However, this seems rather unlikely as pyridine... 

Both procaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms have the enzymatic potential to oxidize aromatic hydrocarbons that range in size from a single ring (e.g., benzene, toluene and xylene) to polycyclic aromatics (PC As), such as naphthalane, anthracene, phenanthrene, benzo [a] pyrene and benz [a] anthracene (Table 4.4). However, the molecular mechanisms by which bacteria and higher microorganisms degrade aromatic compounds are fundamentally different. 

Figure 5.4. Metabolic pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation by white-rot fungi.

Cerniglia, C. E., Gibson, D. T. Van Baalen, C. (1982). Aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation by diatoms isolated from the Kachemak Bay region of Alaska. Journal of General Microbiology, 128, 987-90. 

Naphtenic hydrocarbons yield products similar to paraffins upon oxidation. Aromatic hydrocarbons are che most readily oxidized constituents of lubricating oils. The end products are very complex condensation and polymerization products and tend to be Insoluble in oil. These products constitute the sludges, resins and varnishes which allegedly cause piston ring sticking in the engine. 

Even comprehensive mechanisms, however, must be utilized with caution. The GRI-Mech fails, for instance, under pyrolysis or very fuel-rich conditions, because it does not include formation of higher hydrocarbons or aromatic species. Its predictive capabilities are also limited under conditions where the presence of nitrogen oxides enhances the fuel oxidation rate (NO f sensitized oxidation), a reaction that may affect unbumed hydrocarbon emissions from some gas-fired systems, for example, internal combustion engines. 

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