Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

Mahendra Pratap Saxena

Ashok Kumar Gupta

Satish Kumar Sharma

Prakash D Patel

Girindra N Kulsrestha

Turuga S Prasada Rao

Krishan Kumar

Hari B Goyal

Dinesh Prasad Bangwal

Rameshwar Prasad

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of p-toluic acid by liquid phase oxidation of p-xylene using oxygen or air as oxidant in the presence of p-toluic acid, water as solvent and cobalt salt or its combinations with salts of Ce, Mn as catalyst. Oxidation is carried out at 130-190&#xb0; C. and pressure sufficient to keep water in liquid state. Oxidation step is followed by filteration to obtain p-toluic acid as major product. Untreated p-xylene is recovered and recycled and the catalyst is recovered from aqueous phase and is recycled.

Process for the preparation of p-toluic acid by liquid phase oxidation of p-xylene in water

A catalyst comprising 70-99% by wt. of cobaltic salt and 1-30% by wt. of ferric salt, the acid component of the salt being such as acetate; propionate; naphthenate adipate and phthalate; a process for preparing the above catalyst, and a process for the preparation of carboxylic acids by oxidation of a hydrocarbon with oxygen or air in the presence of the above catalyst.

Catalyst and a process for preparing carboxylic acids using the catalyst

Growing community of inventors

Uttaranchal, India

Mahendra Pratap Saxena