Efficient aerobic oxidation of ethylbenzene accelerated by cu species in hydrotalcite
Xuan Dai, Xingyan Li, Tang Shuangling, Xinhua Peng, Xuegen Zheng, Ou Jiang
Abstract
The simply prepared CuMgAl hydrotalcite (CuMgAl-LDH) has been developed as an efficient catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone in the presence of N-Hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI). Various alkyl arenes could be tolerated under the selected reaction conditions. The kinetic study showed that the oxidation of ethylbenzene is a first-order reaction over CuMgAl-LDH. The mechanism study indicated that CuMgAl-LDH could accelerate not only the conversion of ethylbenzene, but also the transformation of the alcohol intermediate to ketone. The positive effect of surface basicity of the catalyst on the reaction has been observed in the aerobic oxidation of the ethylbenzene.