Combined Effect of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate with Cobalt Acetylacetonate on the Oxidation of Ethylbenzene and the Decomposition of α-Phenylethyl Hydroperoxide

The presented work deals with the combined effect of cobalt(II) acetylacetonate Co(acac)2 and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the oxidation of ethylbenzene. This combination forms a new catalytic system for the decomposition of hydroperoxide ROOH operating in the absence of oxygen. SDS taken alone promotes the decomposition of ROOH into phenol and acetaldehyde, and Co(acac)2 into methylphenylcarbinol and acetophenonone. The nature and scale of the influence of microheterogeneity and kinetic heterogeneity of the medium on the kinetics and mechanism of ethylbenzene oxidation and the decomposition of ethylbenzenehydro-peroxide in the presence of the above combinations was studied. Using this example, it has been established that the catalysis of the decomposition of hydroperoxide in the presence of combinations of sodium dodecyl sulfate with acetylacetonate cobalt is associated with their colloidal feature leading to the formation of aggregates of the surface active substance and hydroperoxide, such as reverse micelles, which facilitate the cleavage of the peroxide bond.