Optimal Process Condition for Room Temperature Hetero-Aromatic Nitrogen Base Promoted Chromic Acid Oxidation of p-Chlorobenzaldehyde to p-Chlorobenzoic Acid in Aqueous Micellar Medium at Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract

Abstract The present paper describes the kinetics of oxidation of p-chlorobenzaldehyde by chromic acid in aqueous and surfactant media in the presence of a promoter at 303 K. The rate constants were found to increase with introduction of hetero-aromatic nitrogen base promoters such as picolinic acid (PA), 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). The product p-chlorobenzoic acid has been characterized by NMR. The mechanism of both unpromoted and promoted reaction paths has been proposed. In presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic surfactant N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) the reaction can undergo simultaneously in both aqueous and micellar phase with an enhanced rate of oxidation. Both SDS and TX-100 produce a normal micellar effect whereas CPC produces a reverse micellar effect in the presence of p-chlorobenzaldehyde.