Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2011, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (8): 1342-1348.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(10)60255-0

• Research papers • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Aerobic Oxidation of Ethylbenzene Co-catalyzed by N-Hydroxyphthalimide and Oxobis(8-Quinolinolato) Vanadium (IV) Complexes

QIN Jinwei, FU Zaihui*, LIU Yachun, HE Xiangling, ZHANG Dexi, WU Wenfeng, WANG Yanlong, GONG Xinglang, DENG Xiaolin, WU Haitao, ZOU Yanhong, YU Ningya, YIN Dulin   

  1. Key Laboratory of Resoruce Fine-Processing and advanced materials of Hunan Province and Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Ministry of Education of China, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
  • Received:2011-02-28 Revised:2011-05-13 Online:2011-08-05 Published:2014-12-26

Abstract: The mediation effect of vanadium compounds on the N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI)-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) was investigated at 90 °C in benzonitrile. Among the vanadium mediators examined, a series of oxobis(8-quinolinolato) vanadium (IV) complexes (VIVOQ2), which were prepared by the coordination of 8-hydroxyquinoline or its derivatives with oxobis(2,4-pentanedionate) vanadium (IV) (VIV O(acac)2) showed a better mediation effect than VIVO(acac)2, NH4VO3, and V2O5 and they gave about 60%–69% EB conversion and 97% of acetophenone (AcPO) selectivity under optimum reaction conditions. This is due to the dual catalysis effects of these V mediators on the transformation of NHPI to the phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) radical and the decomposition of 1-phenylethyl hydroperoxide to AcPO, as supported by UV-Vis spectral characterization.

Key words: n-hydroxyphthalimide, oxobis(8-quinolinolato) vanadium (IV), aerobic oxidation, ethylbenzene, acetophenone