THE OXIDATION OF PHENOLS: I. THE OXIDATION OF 2,6-DI-t-BUTYL-4-METHYLPHENOL, 2,6-DI-t-BUTYLPHENOL, AND 2,6-DIMETHYLPHENOL WITH PEROXY RADICALS

Previous work on the oxidation of alkyl phenols with peroxy radicals is summarized. The yields of the peroxy-cyclohexadienones formed from 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol in the α,α′-azo-bis-isobutyronitrile-initiated oxidation of tetralin at 40 °C have been measured quantitatively. The results suggest that not all the oxidation chains are initiated by isobutyronitrile peroxy radicals.The products from the oxidation of 2,6-di-t-butylphenol and 2,6-dimethyiphenol with (butyl peroxy radicals are found to be mainly dialkyl-p-benzoquinones and tetraalkyl diphenoquinones.