Solvent Effect on Product Distribution in the Aerobic Autoxidation of 2-Ethylhexanal: Critical Role of Polarity.

In the aerobic oxidation of aldehydes to acids, how the solvent affect the reaction remains unclear. Herein, the solvent effect in the oxidation of 2-ethylhexanal (2-ETH) to 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-ETA) was systematically investigated. The vastly different product distributions were observed which could be ascribed to the dominant intermolecular forces.

Preferential synthesis of ethanol from syngas via dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation over an integrated catalyst.

An integrated catalyst that contains Fe5C2 and CuZnO-SiO2 with a dual-bed configuration was designed for the preferential synthesis of ethanol via dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation. The cooperation of the two catalyst components remarkably inhibited the formation of various byproducts, resulting in a significantly high ethanol yield of about 98%.