Oxidation of 2,6-Dimethylphenol to 2,6-Dimethyl-1,4-Benzoquinone with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by TiO2-CeO2 Mixed Xerogels

MAGDALENA PALACIO; PAULA I. VILLABRILLE; GUSTAVO P. ROMANELLI; PATRICIA G. VÁZQUEZ; CARMEN V. CÁCERES

San Francisco, USA

Congreso; 21ST North American catalysis society meeting; 2009

North American Catalysis Society

According to the above-mentioned studies titania-ceria mixed xerogels were prepared in a previous paper. They were characterized and tested as catalysts in the oxidation of 2,6- dimethylphenol (2,6-DMP) to 2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone (2,6-DMBQ), using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. This quinone is a key intermediate for the synthesis of a number of medicines and physiologically active substances; it can be used for the synthesis of trimethylbenzoquinone or for the preparation of indophenol On the other hand, previously we studied this reaction using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant at low temperature (20 °C) with catalysts based on heteropolyacids With the objective to enlarge the studies carried out about this oxidation reaction, in this work titania-ceria mixed xerogels are used as heterogeneous catalysts and mixed ethanol-water as solvent giving a possible mechanism of reaction.