Kinetics and mechanism of the catalytic reaction of ozone with toluene in the liquid phase

The kinetics and product composition of the liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of toluene with an ozone-air mixture were studied. It was shown that at low temperatures in an acetic anhydride medium in the presence of manganese acetate and an inorganic acid, oxidation develops mainly at the methyl group, yielding benzyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and benzylidene diacetate. The scheme of redox catalysis to explain the experimental data is discussed.