Oxidation of 2-propanol

It is convenient to discuss this oxidation first because it has been investigated more thoroughly than the oxidations of other alcohols. Levitt and Malinowski showed that the reaction is first-order with respect to peroxodisulphate, and found that the rate is independent of the concentration of 2-propanol at high concentrations of the latter. They proposed an ionic mechanism involving the reversible formation of an ester, viz. 

Later work showed this mechanism to be incorrect. Wiberg showed that 804 when present in the reaction mixture does not give labelled peroxodi-sulphate, as required by the reversible first step of Levitt and Malinowski s mechanism. Furthermore, allyl acetate inhibits the reaction and reduces the rate of consumption of peroxodisulphate to that observed in the absence of 2-propanol. Wiberg proposed a chain mechanism involving sulphate and hydroxyl radicals. In a thorough study of the reaction, Ball et aV showed that all previous studies were complicated by the catalytic effects of trace amounts of metal ions (most likely cupric ions) and inhibition by dissolved oxygen from the atmosphere. In the absence of oxygen there is no catalysis by cupric ions, and the rate equation is 

The stationary-state approximation applied to this mechanism gives a rate equation agreeing with equation (19), viz. 

As noted in section 2.1.2, the inhibition by allyl acetate is ascribed to the removal of sulphate radical-ions formed in the initiation step. The inhibited rate is 1800 times smaller than the rate in the absence of allyl acetate, indicating a chain 

El is approximately 34 kcal.mole (section 2.1.1), and the other activation energies must be small because the chain length is great. Therefore the observed activation energy (21 kcal) is in qualitative agreement with equation (25). 

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Oxidation of Other Alcohols, Glycols, Carbonyls, and Esters. The processes described for ethanol have also been found generally applicable to the oxidation of propanol and butanol to the corresponding acids, particularly those using dissolved cobalt catalysts in acid solutions. 

S. Mittal, V. Sharma, and K. Baneiji Int. J. Chem. Kinet., 18, 689-699 (1986) studied the oxidation of propanol with Af-chloroethylcarbamate in acid solution ... 

The FTIR lattice spectra reveal the formation of defect sites in the titania matrix after Fe doping at veiy low Fe content. Even these samples are photocalalytically active in the oxidation of /-propanol to acetone prior to all other catalysts. This finding tends to show that the improvement of photocatalytic activity might be related to the appearance of defect sites. After lOh of reaction, /-propanol conversion reached the value of 70%. 

Suitable mechanisms have been proposed following determination of the kinetic and activation parameters for oxidation of 2-naphthol and cyclic ketones by nicotinium dichromate some a-amino acids by tripropylammonium fluorochromate " distyryl ketone by quinaldinium fluorochromate methanol by benzyltriethylammonium chlorochromate catalysed by 1,10-phenanthroline substituted benzyl alcohols by tetraethylammonium bromochromate L-cysteine by pyridinium bromochromate lactic acid and 3,5-dimethyl-2,6-diaryl piperidin-4-one oximes by pyridinium chlorochromate allyl alcohol by IDC benzophenoxime by bispyridine silver(I) dichromate and alkyl phenyl sulfides by cetyltrimethylammonium dichromate. A non-linear Hammett plot obtained for the oxidation of substituted benzyl alcohols by IDC has been attributed to the operation of substituent effect on two steps of the proposed mechanism. " Kinetic and activation parameters for oxidation of o-toluidine and of A-methyl-2,6-diphenyl piperidin-4-one oxime and its 3-alkyl derivatives by sodium dichromate have been determined and suitable mechanisms have been suggested. Micellar catalysis in the 1,10-phenanthroline-promoted chromic acid oxidation of propanol... 

Synthesis of (A) started with the combination of 2,4,6-trimethylphenol and allyl bromide to give the or/Ao-allyl dienone. Acid-catalyzed rearrangement and oxidative bydroboration yielded the dienone with a propanol group in porlactone ring were irons in the product as expected (see p. 275). Treatment with aqueous potassium hydroxide gave the epoxy acid, which formed a crystalline salt with (R)-l-(or-naphthyl)ethylamine. This was recrystallized to constant rotation. 

Propylene requirements for acrylates remain small compared to other chemical uses (polypropylene, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, 2-propanol, and cumene for acetone and phenol). Hence, cost and availabihty are expected to remain attractive and new acrylate capacity should continue to be propylene-based until after the turn of the century. 

However, this advance has an important shortcoming the lack of context. More than one idea is expressed in a document a patent on oxidation catalysts, for example, could include examples of the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde and of 2-propanol to acetone. A simple coordinate search for conversion of methanol to acetone would retrieve such a document from a file that provides no context. 

Oxidation of the hydroxyl group, after protection of the amine group by ben2oylation, gives amino acids (7), eg, oxidation of 2-amino-2-methyl-l-propanol to 2-methylalanine [62-57-7] (CH )2CNH2COOH. 

In this process, the fine powder of lithium phosphate used as catalyst is dispersed, and propylene oxide is fed at 300°C to the reactor, and the product, ahyl alcohol, together with unreacted propylene oxide is removed by distihation (25). By-products such as acetone and propionaldehyde, which are isomers of propylene oxide, are formed, but the conversion of propylene oxide is 40% and the selectivity to ahyl alcohol reaches more than 90% (25). However, ahyl alcohol obtained by this process contains approximately 0.6% of propanol. Until 1984, ah ahyl alcohol manufacturers were using this process. Since 1985 Showa Denko K.K. has produced ahyl alcohol industriahy by a new process which they developed (6,7). This process, which was developed partiy for the purpose of producing epichlorohydrin via ahyl alcohol as the intermediate, has the potential to be the main process for production of ahyl alcohol. The reaction scheme is as fohows ... 

Propanol has been manufactured by hydroformylation of ethylene (qv) (see Oxo process) followed by hydrogenation of propionaldehyde or propanal and as a by-product of vapor-phase oxidation of propane (see Hydrocarbon oxidation). Celanese operated the only commercial vapor-phase oxidation faciUty at Bishop, Texas. Since this faciUty was shut down ia 1973 (5,6), hydroformylation or 0x0 technology has been the principal process for commercial manufacture of 1-propanol ia the United States and Europe. Sasol ia South Africa makes 1-propanol by Fischer-Tropsch chemistry (7). Some attempts have been made to hydrate propylene ia an anti-Markovnikoff fashion to produce 1-propanol (8—10). However, these attempts have not been commercially successful. 

Isopropyl Alcohol. Propylene may be easily hydrolyzed to isopropyl alcohol. Eady commercial processes involved the use of sulfuric acid in an indirect process (100). The disadvantage was the need to reconcentrate the sulfuric acid after hydrolysis. Direct catalytic hydration of propylene to 2-propanol followed commercialization of the sulfuric acid process and eliniinated the need for acid reconcentration, thus reducing corrosion problems, energy use, and air pollution by SO2 and organic sulfur compounds. Gas-phase hydration takes place over supported oxides of tungsten at 540 K and 25... 

Other Derivatives and Reactions. The vapor-phase condensation of ethanol to give acetone has been well documented in the Hterature (376—385) however, acetone is usually obtained as a by-product from the cumene (qv) process, by the direct oxidation of propylene, or from 2-propanol. 

The manufacture and uses of oxiranes are reviewed in (B-80MI50500, B-80MI50501). The industrially most important oxiranes are oxirane itself (ethylene oxide), which is made by catalyzed air-oxidation of ethylene (cf. Section 5.05.4.2.2(f)), and methyloxirane (propylene oxide), which is made by /3-elimination of hydrogen chloride from propene-derived 1-chloro-2-propanol (cf. Section 5.05.4.2.1) and by epoxidation of propene with 1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide cf. Section 5.05.4.2.2(f)) (79MI50501). 

Steroidal 17-cyanohydrins are relatively stable towards chromium trioxide in acetic acid (thus permitting oxidation of a 3-hydroxyl group ) and towards ethyl orthoformate in ethanolic hydrogen chloride (thus permitting enol ether formation of a 3-keto-A system ). Sodium and K-propanol reduction produces the 17j -hydroxy steroid, presumably by formation of the 17-ketone prior to reduction. ... 

In the chemical industry, simple aldehydes and ketones are produced in large quantities for use as solvents and as starting materials to prepare a host of other compounds. For example, more than 1.9 million tons per year of formaldehyde, H2C=0, is produced in the United States for use in building insulation materials and in the adhesive resins that bind particle hoard and plywood. Acetone, (CH.3)2C"0, is widely used as an industrial solvent approximately 1.2 million tons per year is produced in the United States. Formaldehyde is synthesized industrial ) by catalytic oxidation of methanol, and one method of acetone preparation involves oxidation of 2-propanol. 

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

Trimethylacetic acid may be made by the hydrolysis of tert-butyl cyanide with weak hydrochloric acid at ioo0.1 It is also obtained by oxidation of trimethylpyroracemic acid with silver oxide or potassium dichromate and sulfuric acid,2 by oxidation of tertf-butylethylene with permanganate solution,3 or by oxidation of dimethyl 2,2-propanol with chromic acid.4 Schroeter reports the formation of trimethylacetic acid by rearrangement of the oxime of trimethylacetophenone to give the anilide of trimethylacetic acid, which can be hydrolyzed to give the acid.5... 

Balance the half-reaction involved in the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid. Compare the number of electrons released per mole of ethanol with the number per mole of methanol in the equivalent reaction (73c). How many electrons would be released per mole of propanol in the oxidation to propionic acid ... 

We have already considered the oxidation of 1-propanol in Exercise 18-7. The second isomer,... 

The resolution of the overall reaction into steps implied by the steric effect (above) has been achieved" for the oxidation of isopropanol. In 97% aqueous acetic acid a rapid reaction, ic2 x 1.25x10 l.mole . sec (15 °C, p = 0.183 Af NaC104), which is unaffected by deuteration, precedes the oxidation. Evidence for an intermediate has been reported for the oxidation of 1,1,1-tri-fluoro-2-propanol at very high acidities . 

Oxidation of isopropyl alcohol (H2R) by chromic acid has been studied in det ai by Westheimer and Novick , and it was found that acetone (R) is formed nearly quantitatively. The reaction proved to be first order with respect to hydrogen chromate and second order with respect to hydrogen ions. Measurements using 2-deutero-2-propanol under identical conditions as those for the oxidation of ordinary isopropyl alcohol showed the rate of reaction to be of that with the hydrogen compound. This fact is considered to prove that the secondary hydrogen atom is removed in the rate-controlling step and that the assumption of hydride-ion abstraction can be excluded. The data are consistent with the following mechanism... 

Recently Mosher and Driscoll 2 have noted that the polymerization of acrylonitrile can be observed during the chromic acid oxidation of 2,2-dimethyl-l-phenyl-l-propanol. The polymerization is caused by radicals formed during the oxidation of benzaldehyde (which is one of the cleavage product of phenyl-1-butylcarbinol). The oxidation of benzaldehyde is due to the chromium(IV), most probably, or chromiun(V) intermediates. 

In the oxidation of 2-propanol no polymer could be detected. However, when benzaldehyde was added, polymerization occurred to a considerable extent. These data suggest that the intermediate chromium(rv) or chromium(V) species formed in the oxidation of alcohol was responsible for the radical products and that the benzaldehyde was involved in the initiation. 

Analysis of reaction mixtures for 1-propanol and 2-propanol following incubation of NDPA with various rat liver fractions in the presence of an NADPH-generating system is shown in Table I ( ). Presence of microsomes leads to production of both alcohols, but there was no propanol formed with either the soluble enzyme fraction or with microsomes incubated with SKF-525A (an inhibitor of cytochrome P450-dependent oxidations). The combined yield of propanols from 280 ymoles of NDPA was 6.1 ymoles and 28.5 ymoles for the microsomal pellet and the 9000 g supernatant respectively. The difference in the ratio of 1- to 2-propanol in the two rat liver fractions may be due to differences in the chemical composition of the reaction mixtures (2) Subsequent experiments have shown that these ratios are quite reproducible. For comparison, Table I also shows formation of propanols following base catalyzed decomposition of N-propyl-N-nitrosourea. As expected (10,11), both propanol isomers were formed, the total yield in this case being almost quantitative. 

Fig. 2. Left catalytic oxidation of C3 organic compounds over MgCr204. Conversion of propane A acetone X acrolein propene. Right catalytic oxidation of 2-propanol over MgCr204. conversion of 2-propanol selectivities to acetone A propene X COx-...

PtRu nanoparticles can be prepared by w/o reverse micro-emulsions of water/Triton X-lOO/propanol-2/cyclo-hexane [105]. The bimetallic nanoparticles were characterized by XPS and other techniques. The XPS analysis revealed the presence of Pt and Ru metal as well as some oxide of ruthenium. Hills et al. [169] studied preparation of Pt/Ru bimetallic nanoparticles via a seeded reductive condensation of one metal precursor onto pre-supported nanoparticles of a second metal. XPS and other analytical data indicated that the preparation method provided fully alloyed bimetallic nanoparticles instead of core/shell structure. AgAu and AuCu bimetallic nanoparticles of various compositions with diameters ca. 3 nm, prepared in chloroform, exhibited characteristic XPS spectra of alloy structures [84]. 

In the illumination of a ZnS sol, containing nitrous oxide and propanol-2, hydrogen and nitrogen are the gaseous products, and acetone and pinacol the condensed products. The acetone to pinacol ratio is 4 1, and the sum of the yields of the condensed products always equals that of the gaseous products. This is explained by the following mechanism ... 

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