Methacrylates from isobutene

Important classes of reactions not included in the above list, because they are not yet used on a commercial scale, are (i) the oxidative dehydrogenation of C2-C5 alkanes, (ii) the selective oxidation of alkanes, such as the synthesis of maleic and phthalic anhydride from n-pentane and methacrolein or methacrylic acid from isobutene, and (iii) propane ammoxidation to acrylonitrile [317-319]. 

From a kinetic point of view, the formation of methacrolein and methacrylic acid occurs through two parallel reactions. This has been explained by hypothesizing the mechanism illustrated in Figure 14.4, elaborated starting with reactivity studies on isobutene, methacrolein, and methacrylic acid, and from Fourier... 

Applications of POMs to catalysis have been periodically reviewed [33 0]. Several industrial processes were developed and commercialized, mainly in Japan. Examples include liquid-phase hydration ofpropene to isopropanol in 1972, vapor-phase oxidation of methacrolein to methacrylic acid in 1982, liquid-phase hydration of isobutene for its separation from butane-butene fractions in 1984, biphasic polymerization of THE to polymeric diol in 1985 and hydration of -butene to 2-butanol in 1989. In 1997 direct oxidation of ethylene to acetic acid was industrialized by Showa Denko and in 2001 production of ethyl acetate by BP Amoco. 

CO2. CHj, CO. H . propene. isobutene, dimethyl ketene. acrolein, diallyl ether, allyl methacrylate monomer and dimer, chain fragments including anhydnde structures from side-group cydization. and an aliphatic ketone in the vidnity of unsaturation CO , SO , phenol, bisphenol S, hydroquinone. fragments of backbone, benzene sulfonic acid... 

However, with the former catalyst the mechanism is essentially an ionic one, with evolution to a dioxyalkylidene species which can yield either methacrolein, or a carboxylate species, precursor of methacrylic acid. No isobutene is detected among the reaction products since the dioxyalkylidene species is strongly bound to the surface. The overall process involves the transfer of 8 electrons from the organic substrate to the catalyst per molecule of methacrylic acid produced. In the case of W-containing heteropolycompounds the mechanism is essentially a radical one (analogous to that proposed for the radical-like chemistry exhbited by W-containing heteropolycompounds in liquid phase oxidations (46)). In the absence of centres able to insert O species, the radical alkoxy intermediate converts to isobutene. The process only involves 2 electrons. 

Vapor-phase aerobic oxidations of lower olefins, e. g. propylene to acrolein or acrylic acid and isobutene to methacrolein or methacrylic acid, are well-established bulk chemical processes [1,2], They are usually performed over oxidic catalysts, such as bismuth molybdate or heteropoly compounds, although the scope of these allylic oxidations is limited to olefins that cannot form 1,3-dienes via oxidative dehydrogenation. Thus 1- and 2-butene are converted to butadiene, and methylbutenes to isoprene, and with higher olefins complex mixtures result from further oxidation. Hence, such methodologies are not relevant in the context of fine chemicals. 

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