Preparation of benzoic acid via H_2O_2 catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol

The effects of acid additive on clean synthesis of benzoic acid via direct oxidation of benzyl alcohol with 30 % H_2O_2 catalyzed by Na_2WO_4·2H_2O were studied. In most cases, the yield of benzoic acid is high if the acidity is strong. The study on optimization of reaction condition with NaHSO_4·H_2O as acid additive indicated that the optimal conditions of oxidation reaction were that the molar ratio of n(benzyl alcohol)∶n(Na_2WO_4·2H_2O)∶n(NaHSO_4·H_2O)∶n(H_2O_2)=100∶1∶1∶300; refluxing 7 hour; and the yield of benzoic acid is 82.7%.