Abstract
The oxidative coupling of p-cresol by FeCl3 in aqueous solution was conducted in the presence of alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (Cn-TAB). Cationic surfactants greatly inhibited trimer production and increased the selectivity for dimer production. The dimer produced in the reaction system may possibly be incorporated into micelles and subsequently excluded from the aqueous oxidation system. With C16-TAB, the dimer was selectively produced at a concentration above cmc. C12-and C10-TAB brought about selective dimerization, even below cmc.
