Synthesis of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids

Aliphatic acids are prepared in strong acidic media (H2SO4, HF, etc.) using either an olefin or an alcohol as oxidant [147]. 

These special oxidants are of course partially carbonylated into acidic derivatives during the course of the main reaction complex mixtures will accordingly always result, and the type of olefin (or the alcohol) must therefore be chosen with care. Because of the strong acidic medium used, rearranged products are, furthermore, usually obtained for example [147]  

Starting Material Product Catalyst Conditions Yield Ref. 

Strained alicyclic compounds yield acyclic carboxylic acids in this special reaction no extra oxidant is needed since the starting molecule acts both as the substrate and the oxidant [153]  

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The synthesis of aliphatic carboxylic acids is exemplified by the following typical procedures. 

Synthesis of aliphatic carboxylic acids, esters, and amides,2 Sodium tetracarbonyl-ferrate(-II) (1) reacts with aliphatic halides and tosylates to give anionic alkyltetra-carbonyliron(O) complexes (2). In the presence of carbon monoxide these undergo... 

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