Oxidation reactions recyclable compounds

Oxidation of cumene to cumene hydroperoxide is usually achieved in three to four oxidizers in series, where the fractional conversion is about the same for each reactor. Fresh cumene and recycled cumene are fed to the first reactor. Air is bubbled in at the bottom of the reactor and leaves at the top of each reactor. The oxidizers are operated at low to moderate pressure. Due to the exothermic nature of the oxidation reaction, heat is generated and must be removed by external cooling. A portion of cumene reacts to form dimethylbenzyl alcohol and acetophenone. Methanol is formed in the acetophenone reaction and is further oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid. A small amount of water is also formed by the various reactions. The selectivity of the oxidation reaction is a function of oxidation conditions temperature, conversion level, residence time, and oxygen partial pressure. Typical commercial yield of cumene hydroperoxide is about 95 mol % in the oxidizers. The reaction effluent is stripped off unreacted cumene which is then recycled as feedstock. Spent air from the oxidizers is treated to recover 99.99% of the cumene and other volatile organic compounds. 

Chiral rhodium-DuPHOS complexes are highly efficient catalyst for the enantioselective hydrogenation of enamides. One drawback of these catalysts is that they are easily oxidised and inert conditions are required for optimal results. The methyl- and ethyl substituted Rh-DuPHOS compounds, 3a and 3b, have been successfully applied in the reduction of a-acetamidocinnamic acids in [C4Ciim][PF6], Scheme 3.7.[7,39] While activities and selectivities are slightly lower compared to the homogeneous reaction in 2-propanol, the ionic liquid-immobilised catalyst is less prone to oxidation and recycling is feasible at least three times. 

The first example of tandem oxidation and l,2-acetoxysulfenylation/l,2-disulfenylation of Baylis-Hillman (BH) alcohols was reported by Yadav et al. [20]. The reaction involves oxidation of BH alcohols with IBX in [bmim][Br] to give P-ketomethylene compounds, followed by Cul-imidazole catalyzed 1,2-acetoxy-sulfenylation with an organodisulfide and AcOH to afford vicinal acetoxysulfides in excellent yields with complete regioselectivity (Scheme 14.21). This reaction was tested in six different ionic liquid imidazolium salts. Among these ILs, [bmim][Br] dissolved IBX at room temperature and gave the best result in the one-pot oxidative reaction. After isolation of final products, the IL could be recycled for four times with up to 70% recovery and reused without any loss of efficiency. 

The first step is performed in liquid phase with air as oxidizing agent under pressures of 3.5-5 atm to maintain liquid conditions. With a cobalt naphthenate-catalyst, temperatures in the range of 120-130 C are adequate, whereas without catalyst the temperatures need to reach 145-150 0. An important feature of the process is the relatively low per-pass conversion of about 15 per cent of the cyclohexane charge. Water formed by the oxidation reaction and impurities in the feedstock such as sulfur-containing compounds and other hydrocarbons are removed azeotropically as reaction proceeds. Unless reaction water is removed, the air-oxidation ceases after about 25-30 per cent conversion. Removal of feed impurities and oxidation by-products results in a clean recycle stream. 

Iodine in combination with [bis(acyloxy)iodo]arenes is a classical reagent combination for the oxidative iodination of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds [99], A typical iodination procedure involves the treatment of electron-rich arenes with the PhI(OAc)2-iodine system in a mixture of acetic acid and acetic anhydride in the presence of catalytic amounts of concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature for 15 min [100,101]. A solvent-free, solid state oxidative halogenation of arenes using PhI(OAc)2 as the oxidant has been reported [102]. Alkanes can be directly iodinated by the reaction with the PhI(OAc)2-iodine system in the presence of f-butanol under photochemical or thermal conditions [103]. Several other iodine(in) oxidants, including recyclable hypervalent iodine reagents (Chapter 5), have been used as reagents for oxidative iodination of arenes [104-107]. For example, a mixture of iodine and [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene in acetonitrile or methanol iodinates the aromatic ring of methoxy substituted alkyl aryl ketones to afford the products of electrophilic mono-iodination in 68-86% yield [107]. 

The oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds is a fundamental reaction that has synthetic and chemical importance. Using chromium-based catalysts, researchers have developed several catalysts that have impacted alcohol oxidation reactions. Recently, homogeneous catalysts have had problems with catalyst/product separation and suffer from poor catalyst recyclability. Therefore, the quest for a resolution to this problem has led researchers to scaffold salen complexes onto a silica-based material such as MCM-41. Zhou et al. used an ion-exchangeable, layered polysiloxane support to immobili.se their sulfonato-(salen)Cr(m) complex. They reacted benzyl alcohol, cyclo-hexanol and -hexanol with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant in an ionic liquid at 40 °C. Several ionic liquids were investigated [BMImX (BMIm = 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium X =PF6, BF4, NOs")] and compared for each substrate. 

There are many chemical sytheses where high selectivities can only be obtained at low degrees of conversion. This is the case when the reactions are not very rapid, and when the product may react further (consecutive reactions see section 3.4.3). Many partial oxidations of organic compounds in the liquid phase are of this category. It may then be sensible to operate a reactor at a low degree of conversion, separate the unconverted reactants from the reaction product and recycle these. Let us consider the reaction scheme ... 

Generally, the hot carbonate process is much less corrosive to common metals than amine solvent systems. Potassium carbonate is a very stable compound that is not degraded at the usual high operating temperatures or by oxidizing agents. Hot carbonate systems, therefore, are used to remove CO2 from recycle gas streams in organic oxidation reactions. 

Borsini, et al.,f ] reported the use of a redox catalyst system for the polymerization of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene. One advantage of this catalyst system was that it permitted operation at lower temperatures than with peroxides. It allowed production of polymers with a linear chain, an orderly distribution of the asymmetric points. This process had favorable economics due to the possibility of the recovery of the catalyst, followed by its oxidation and recycle. The catalytic system was comprised of an organometallic compound and tetravalent cerium salt in quantities ranging from 0.01 to 2 of the former and 0.001 to 1 of metallic cerium part by weight per hundred parts by weight of the monomer mixture. This catalyst allowed the polymerization reaction to be conducted in the range of -60 to 20°C. Examples of the catalytic system include Pb(C2H5)4 and (NH4)2Ce(N03)g. 

After epoxidation a distillation is performed to remove the propylene, propylene oxide, and a portion of the TBHP and TBA overhead. The bottoms of the distillation contains TBA, TBHP, some impurities such as formic and acetic acid, and the catalyst residue. Concentration of this catalyst residue for recycle or disposal is accompHshed by evaporation of the majority of the TBA and other organics (141,143,144), addition of various compounds to yield a metal precipitate that is filtered from the organics (145—148), or Hquid extraction with water (149). Low (<500 ppm) levels of soluble catalyst can be removed by adsorption on soHd magnesium siUcate (150). The recovered catalyst can be treated for recycle to the epoxidation reaction (151). 

There have been a number of cell designs tested for this reaction. Undivided cells using sodium bromide electrolyte have been tried (see, for example. Ref. 29). These have had electrode shapes for in-ceU propylene absorption into the electrolyte. The chief advantages of the electrochemical route to propylene oxide are elimination of the need for chlorine and lime, as well as avoidance of calcium chloride disposal (see Calcium compounds, calcium CHLORIDE Lime and limestone). An indirect electrochemical approach meeting these same objectives employs the chlorine produced at the anode of a membrane cell for preparing the propylene chlorohydrin external to the electrolysis system. The caustic made at the cathode is used to convert the chlorohydrin to propylene oxide, reforming a NaCl solution which is recycled. Attractive economics are claimed for this combined chlor-alkali electrolysis and propylene oxide manufacture (135). 

It is well established that sulfur compounds even in low parts per million concentrations in fuel gas are detrimental to MCFCs. The principal sulfur compound that has an adverse effect on cell performance is H2S. A nickel anode at anodic potentials reacts with H2S to form nickel sulfide. Chemisorption on Ni surfaces occurs, which can block active electrochemical sites. The tolerance of MCFCs to sulfur compounds is strongly dependent on temperature, pressure, gas composition, cell components, and system operation (i.e., recycle, venting, and gas cleanup). Nickel anode at anodic potentials reacts with H2S to form nickel sulfide. Moreover, oxidation of H2S in a combustion reaction, when recycling system is used, causes subsequent reaction with carbonate ions in the electrolyte [1]. Some researchers have tried to overcome this problem with additional device such as sulfur removal reactor. If the anode itself has a high tolerance to sulfur, the additional device is not required, hence, cutting the capital cost for MCFC plant. To enhance the anode performance on sulfur tolerance, ceria coating on anode is proposed. The main reason is that ceria can react with H2S [2,3] to protect Ni anode. 

Low-valent lanthanides represented by Sm(II) compounds induce one-electron reduction. Recycling of the Sm(II) species is first performed by electrochemical reduction of the Sm(III) species [32], In one-component cell electrolysis, the use of sacrificial anodes of Mg or A1 allows the samarium-catalyzed pinacol coupling. Samarium alkoxides are involved in the transmet-allation reaction of Sm(III)/Mg(II), liberating the Sm(III) species followed by further electrochemical reduction to re-enter the catalytic cycle. The Mg(II) ion is formed in situ by anodic oxidation. SmCl3 can be used in DMF or NMP as a catalyst precursor without the preparation of air- and water-sensitive Sm(II) derivatives such as Sml2 or Cp2Sm. 

Hydroxyprotoberberine 59a and ( )-corytencine (98) led to 13-acetoxy compounds 104,105, and 107 moreover, the 2,3,9,10,12-pentaoxy-genated protoberberine 108 was also obtained from 98 via the p-quinol acetate 106 through a retro-Mannich reaction followed by recyclization (74,75). Oxidation in dichloromethane instead of acetic acid proceeded differently, namely, 97 and 98 led to pentaoxygenated protoberberines 103 and 109 by introduction of an acetoxyl group at C-4 and C-12, respectively, via o-quinol acetates (76). 

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