Kinetic Studies of the Catalytic Oxidation of Toluene to Benzoic Acid in the Liquid Phase

The catalytic oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid in the liquid phase has been studied in an un-stirred tank reactor. Low concentration of acetic acid was added in order to increase the solubility of the catalyst in toluene. The dependence of the rate of reaction on the concentration of toluene catalyst and oxygen pressure was studied. It has been suggested that liquid phase oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid primarily is a diffusion controlled reaction and the order of reaction with respect to oxygen shifts to lower values by stirring.