Abstract
The oxidation of acrolein was carried out under the presence of di-tert-butylperoxyoxalate (DBPO) in seven kinds of solvents. After the addition of DBPO, the uptake of oxygen was observed without induction period and the absorption rate of oxygen was continued steadily much longer than the case of the oxidation catalysed by metal-salts. Acrylic acid, peracrylic acid and the peroxide complex (1 : 1 adduct from peracrylic acid and acrolein) were formed and the selectivity of acrylic acid reached to 47.0% in benzene, while peracrylic acid and the peroxide complex were considerably stable in the reaction solution (their selectivities were 18.0% and 24.0%, respectively). The polymers formed in the case of the final stage of the reaction by Co (acac) 3 catalyst, were not observed in any solvent used in this investigation.The absorption rates of oxygen in various solvents decreased in the following order :
benzene>carbon tetrachloride>n-hexane>cyclohexane>butyric acid>valeric acid>acetic acid
