Kinetics of Liquid Phase Oxidation of Cyclohexane

As a class of reactions, the liquid phase oxidation of hydrocarbons is a major source of many organic chemicals and plays a significant role in the modern petrochemical industry. The liquid phase oxidation of cyclohexane is a typical member of this class of reactions. As the products of this reaction, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone which are in turn processed into caprolactam and adipic acid supply the main raw materials for the manufacture of Nylon-6 and Nylon-66. The primary intermediate of cyclohexane oxidation, cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, also has special industrial importance since it can produce other products with good selectivity under mild conditions. However, the oxidation of cyclohexane is relatively a difficult process and is plagued by the problem of selectivity since the desired products, i.e. cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, are intermediates in a sequence of reactions and overoxidation results easily in a number of useless by-products. A study of the kinetic mechanism of cyclohexane oxidation is therefore significant for the development of new technologies and the improvement of existing processes.