PATENTS

      108.     ------.  [BADISCHE ANILIN- UND SODA-FABRIK]  (G. Farbenindustrie A. G.  “In Auflösung”).  [Oxo Carboxylic Acids.]  German Patent 812,073.  Aug. 27, 1951 (Cl. 12 6.15).  Chem. Abs., vol. 47, 1953, p. 2769.

O₂-submitting hydroaromatic ketones or alcohols with O₂ or O₂-containing gases in the presence of O-transferring catalysts and organic acids give oxocarboxylic acids.  The addition of ketones or aldehydes, such as AcH or EtCHO, is suitable to initiate the oxidation when o-substituted alcohols are used as the starting material.  The reaction is preferably interrupted before all of the hydroaromatic alcohol or ketone is oxidized (at most up to 50-80%) to prevent a further oxidation.  Bubbling air through adipic acid 20 and Mn nitrate (I) 1 in 2-methylcyclohexanone (II) 1,000 at 65° until 50% of the (II) is oxidized and fractionating the reaction mixture in vacuo gives unreacted (II) 500, an intermediate fraction 40, 8-acetylvaleric acid (III) 340, and a residue 270 parts consisting of a mixture of several acids.  A further example describes the preparation of (III) by oxidizing a mixture of (II) and 2-methylcyclohexanol in the presence of AcOH and (I).