摘要 |
A low temperature process for preparing an aromatic acid having formula (I), said process comprising reacting an aromatic aldehyde having formula (II) with a gas having an oxygen content of 1 to 100 weight percent, based on the total weight of the gas, at a temperature of about 20° C. to less than 100° C. in the presence of a supported Group VIII metal catalyst, and a solvent having a flash point greater than 95° C. and/or a melting point less than 55° C., provided that the flash point of the solvent is greater than the reaction temperature, wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and a C1-C8 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group. The process of the invention yields an aromatic acid in excellent yield, and (i) does not involve the use of deleterious oxidizing agents; (ii) is essentially free of by-products; and (iii) is accomplished at a temperature of less than 100° C.
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