A green mesostructured vanadosilicate catalyst and its unprecedented catalytic activity for the selective synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted p-benzoquinones

Dalton Trans. 2014 Jan 21;43(3):958-66. doi: 10.1039/c3dt52329b. Epub 2013 Oct 25.

Abstract

We have developed a green method for the production of 2,6-disubstituted p-benzoquinones (DSBQs) by liquid-phase oxidations of di/tri-substituted phenols using two-dimensional hexagonally thick-walled mesoporous vanadosilicate catalysts. In particular, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone was synthesized by the oxidation of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, using various reaction parameters, over mesoporous VSBA-15 catalysts synthesized with various vanadium contents. A promising chemical treatment method for the preparation of green mesoporous VSBA-15(5) or W-VSBA-15(5) (W: washed) catalysts was successfully used in the presence of ammonium acetate solution to remove moderately toxic non-framework V2O5 crystallite species from the active surface, and the catalytic activity of the recovered green mesoporous VSBA-15(5) catalyst was determined. To confirm the green aspects, recyclability and hot-catalytic filtration experiments were performed. The combined results show that the green mesoporous VSBA-15(5) is a highly active, recyclable, and promising heterogeneous catalyst for the selective synthesis of DSBQs (98-100%), and has unprecedented catalytic activity compared with other mesoporous vanadosilicate catalysts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Benzoquinones / chemical synthesis*
  • Benzoquinones / chemistry
  • Butylated Hydroxytoluene / analogs & derivatives*
  • Butylated Hydroxytoluene / chemical synthesis
  • Butylated Hydroxytoluene / chemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Phenols / chemistry
  • Porosity
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemical synthesis*
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry*
  • Temperature
  • Vanadium Compounds / chemical synthesis*
  • Vanadium Compounds / chemistry*

Substances

  • 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-benzoquinone
  • Benzoquinones
  • Phenols
  • Vanadium Compounds
  • Butylated Hydroxytoluene
  • 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol
  • Silicon Dioxide