Kinetics of micellar catalysis on oxidation of p-anisaldehyde to p-anisic acid in aqueous medium at room temperature

Hughlights
• Production of medicinally and chemically important p-anisic.
• Oxidation has been conducted in the micellar media with cationic, anionic and neutral surfactants.
• Toxic hexavalent chromium converts into the non-toxic trivalent chromium.
• Anionic surfactant accelerated the reaction almost three-fold compared to uncatalyzed path.
• Cationic surfactant and neutral surfactant inhibited the reaction.

Oxidation of p-anisaldehyde by chromic acid produces p-anisic acid under kinetic condition [p-anisaldehyde]T≫[Cr(VI)]T. This oxidation reaction is performed also in presence of micellar catalysts in aqueous media at room temperature. The progress of the reaction is monitored spectrophotometrically by following the decay of Cr(VI) at 450 nm wavelength. The product is confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) accelerated the reaction almost three-fold compared to uncatalyzed path, whereas cationic surfactant N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and neutral surfactant triton-X-100 (TX-100) inhibited the reaction.