Kinetic Relationships of Liquid-Phase Oxidation of Styrene with Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of Polyoxotungstate Modified with Cerium Cations

Liquid-phase oxidation of styrene with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalytic system based on (NH 4 ) 10 W 12 O 41 + Ce(NO 3 ) 3 + H 3 PO 4 , supported on a microstructured carbon material and treated with an aqueous Н 2 О 2 solution, was studied. The major reaction products are phenyloxirane and benzaldehyde, with phenylacetaldehyde, 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol, and benzoic acid also present. The kinetic relationships of the process were studied, and a kinetic model according to which phenyloxirane is the primary reaction product was suggested. Aldehydes are accumulated by parallel routes: oxidation of phenyloxirane and of its hydrolysis product, 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol. With an increase in the styrene: Н 2 О 2 molar ratio, oxidation of 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol becomes the major pathway of the aldehyde formation.