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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: lukas.stib on March 21, 2020, 08:50:36 AM

Title: Benzene from benzyl alcohol
Post by: lukas.stib on March 21, 2020, 08:50:36 AM

Hello chemists,

I want to ask you what happens when I mix sulfuric acid and benzyl alcohol? Is benzene forming?

Thank you, Lukáš S.

Title: Re: Benzene from benzyl alcohol
Post by: chenbeier on March 21, 2020, 10:24:28 AM

No, why should this happen? What kind of mechanism?
But it is possible by oxidation and decarbonation. Show mechanism!

Title: Re: Benzene from benzyl alcohol
Post by: lukas.stib on March 21, 2020, 11:25:30 AM

Just I think. Thank you.

Title: Re: Benzene from benzyl alcohol
Post by: pgk on March 23, 2020, 11:18:18 AM

Heating benzyl alcohol with sulfuric acid under azeotropic conditions, may lead to the formation of dibenzyl ether. But this would demand the addition of quite enough sulfuric acid and not just a catalytic amount.
Benzyl benzoate and dibenzyl ether from of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol under microwave irradiation using a SiO2–SO3H catalyst.
Catalysis Communications, 68, 97-100, (2015)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566736715001879

Meanwhile, please take a look at the patent, below:
Method for producing carboxylic acid benzyl esters, US Patent 6800780, (2004)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6800780B2