Oxidation of trimethylbenzene by the heteropoly vanadomolybdate-hydrogen peroxide system

Oxidation of 1,3,5- and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzenes using heteropoly vanadomolybdate as catalyst in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under homogeneous conditions has been investigated. Phenol formation in the case of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene and only side chain oxidation in the case 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene were observed. This behavior is explained in terms of the charge densities on different centers of both substrate molecules calculated by the MNDO method. © Akadémiai Kiadó, All rights reserved.