Abstracto

Synthesis of 2-MethylTerephthalicAcid By SelectiveOxidationOf 2,4-Dimethyl BenzoicAcid UsingKMnO4

Guo-Yong Zou, Ri-Sheng Yao, Xin-Hua Wan , Hui-Xia Zhu , Hong-Bo He

A simple and environmental-friendly procedure to synthesize 2-methyl terephthalic acid by selectively oxidizing 2, 4-dimethylbenzoic acid was reported. 2,4- Dimethylbenzoic acid reacts in alkalic solution with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to afford 2-methyl terephthalic acid. The reaction is highly selective and takes only 5 hours. The chemical structure of the product was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The pathways of the procedure and the mechanism of the selective oxidation reactions were discussed.