Hydroperoxide decomposition processes

摘要

An improved process for decomposing alkyl or aromatic hydroperoxides to form a decomposition reaction mixture containing the corresponding alcohol and ketone. The improvement relates to decomposing the hydroperoxide by contacting the hydroperoxide with a catalytic amount of a heterogeneous catalyst of Nb or Hf hydroxide or oxide. The improvement also relates to decomposing a secondary hydroperoxide by contacting the secondary hydroperoxide with a catalytic amount of a heterogeneous catalyst of Zr or Ti hydroxide or oxide. The catalysts may optionally be supported on SiO2, Al2O3, carbon or TiO2.