Method for synthesizing 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid by using P-xylene (PX) as raw material

Abstract

A method for synthesizing 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using P-xylene (PX) as a raw material, including: dissolving PX in an organic solvent to undergo an oxidation reaction with an oxidizing agent under an action of an M-MOF catalyst; and after the oxidation reaction, performing a post-treatment to obtain the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid; wherein, the metal element M in the M-MOF catalyst is Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, Cu/Fe, Cu/Cr, Cu/Mn, Fe/Mn, Cr/Fe or Cr/Mn. The by-product produced in the reaction process is little, the yield is high, and the separation is convenient. The acid-base neutralization is not required in the reaction process, reducing pollution. A one-step reaction is employed which has mild reaction conditions, short reaction time, low pollution and is convenient for industrialized mass production; and the obtained 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid can be used for preparing medicines and liquid crystal materials having wide applications.

Claims

1. A method for synthesizing 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using p-xylene (PX) as a raw material, comprising the following steps: dissolving the PX in an organic solvent to undergo an oxidation reaction with an oxidizing agent under an action of a transition metal modified metal-organic framework (M-MOF) catalyst to obtain a reacted product; and after the oxidation reaction, performing a post-treatment on the reacted product to obtain the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid; wherein, a metal element in the M-MOF catalyst is one selected from the group consisting of Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, a mixture of Cu and Fe, a mixture of Cu and Cr, a mixture of Cu and Mn, a mixture of Fe and Mn, a mixture of Cr and Fe, and a mixture of Cr and Mn.

2. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, the organic solvent is at least one selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, acetone, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, and cyclohexane.

3. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, the organic solvent is at least one selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, acetone, and acetic acid.

4. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, the oxidizing agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of O.sub.2, air, hydrogen peroxide, KHSO.sub.5, t-butyl hydroperoxide, O.sub.3 and N.sub.2O.

5. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, the oxidizing agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of 20%-40% hydrogen peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, O.sub.3 and N.sub.2O.

6. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, the oxidizing agent is 20%-40% hydrogen peroxide and/or t-butyl hydroperoxide, and a molar ratio of the PX to the oxidizing agent is 1:(3-10).

7. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, a volume ratio of the PX to the organic solvent is 1:(1-100).

8. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, in the oxidation reaction, a reaction temperature is 10 C.-120 C.

9. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, a mass ratio of the PX to the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(1.5-3).

10. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 1, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

11. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 2, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

12. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 3, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

13. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 4, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

14. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 5, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

15. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 6, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

16. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 7, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

17. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 8, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

18. The method for synthesizing the 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid using the PX as the raw material of claim 9, wherein, a mass ratio of the metal element to a MOF carrier in the M-MOF catalyst is 1:(10-100).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an existing synthetic route of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid;

(2) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a synthetic route of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid in the present invention;

(3) FIG. 3 shows an HPLC chromatogram of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid;

(4) FIG. 4 shows an HPLC chromatogram of 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid; and

(5) FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) of 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(6) The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with the reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. A synthetic route of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. A density of p-xylene in the following embodiments is 0.86 g/cm.sup.3.

(7) A synthesis method of Fe-MOF is a hydrothermal method, including the following experimental steps. 0.675 g of FeCl.sub.36H.sub.2O and 260 mg of terephthalic acid are weighed and transfered into a reacting lining made of polytetrafluoroethylene, and 15 mL of a solvent (N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)) is added. At normal temperature, the solution is stirred at a low speed to be clear and transparent, and transferred into a dryer. A temperature of the dryer is set to be 110 C. at which a reaction is performed for 20 hours. After the reaction was terminated, and the reaction kettle is naturally cooled, a suction filtration is carried out with DMF until a filtrate is colorless to obtain a brick red solid material, i.e., the Fe-MOF.

(8) The experimental steps for synthesizing Mn/Fe-MOF are as follows: certain amounts of FeCl.sub.36H.sub.2O, terephthalic acid and Mn(NO).sub.34H.sub.2O are dissolved in an appropriate amount of DMF, and transferred into a reacting lining made of polytetrafluoroethylene, a reaction is carried out at 110 C. for 20 hours, after the reaction kettle is naturally cooled, the product is washed with DMF to obtain the Mn/Fe-MOF.

(9) Cu-MOF is a pore-channel framework material composed of a metal center Cu.sup.2+ and an organic ligand 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid. The specific preparation process of the Cu-MOF used in this experiment is as follows: 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and Cu(NO.sub.3).sub.23H.sub.2O are weighed with an analytical balance and poured into a beaker; distilled water, absolute ethanol, and a dimethylformamide solution are added into the above solution, stirring is performed to completely dissolve the 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and Cu(NO.sub.3).sub.23H.sub.2O; the stirring bar is taken out, and the above dissolved reacting solution is poured into a bottle made of polytetrafluoroethylene to be crystallized; after the reaction is finished, and the bottle made of polytetrafluoroethylene is naturally cooled, washing and drying are carried out to obtain a dark blue powder; the dark blue powder obtained above is transferred to an Erlenmeyer flask for purification, suction filtration, washing, drying, and activation to obtain a final product, i.e., the dark blue solid powder Cu-MOF.

(10) The specific preparation process of Cu/Mn-MOF and Cu/Fe-MOF is as follows: an appropriate amount of 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and Cu(NO.sub.3).sub.23H.sub.2O are weighed and poured into a beaker; followed by adding distilled water, absolute ethanol, and a dimethylformamide solution, and stirring is performed to completely dissolve the 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and Cu(NO.sub.3).sub.23H.sub.2O; appropriate amounts of Mn(NO).sub.34H.sub.2O and FeCl.sub.36H.sub.2O are weighed with an analytical balance, dissolved in an appropriate amount of distilled water, and then slowly added into the solution obtained in the previous step, the reaction solution is poured into a bottle made of polytetrafluoroethylene for reacing for a certain period of time, naturally cooled, washed, and dried to obtain final products of Cu/Mn-MOF and Cu/Fe-MOF, respectively.

(11) Mn-MOF is prepared by a solvothermal method. 1.62 mmol of Mn(NO).sub.34H.sub.2O is dissolved in 14 mL of DMF, stirred until dissolved, and then 0.85 mmol of trimesic acid is added, stirred vigorously at room temperature, and the mixture is transferred into a reaction kettle made of polytetrafluoroethylene for reacting at 150 C. for 6 hours. After cooling to room temperature, the reaction product is washed with DMF and dried at 60 C. to obtain the Mn-MOF.

(12) Cr-MOF is a metal-organic framework material having an Lavoisier's structure, which is composed of a metal center Cr.sup.3+ and an organic ligand trimesic acid (H.sub.3BTC). The Cr-MOF material used in this experiment is synthesized by a solvothermal method according to literature. The specific steps for synthesizing the material are as follows: Cr powder is weighed by an analytical balance and poured into a lining of a reaction kettle made of polytetrafluoroethylene; distilled water and hydrogen fluoride (HF) are added to the lining of the reaction kettle, and stirred to dissolve the Cr powder; after the Cr powder is dissolved, H.sub.3BTC and the distilled water are added to the reaction system, stirred uniformly, and put into the reaction kettle after the stirring bar is taken out; the reaction kettle is placed in a drying oven with constant temperature for reacting; after the reaction is completed, and the reaction kettle is naturally cooled, suction filtration, purification, and washing to obtain the final solid product Cr-MOF.

(13) The preparation methods of Cr/Fe-MOF, Cr/Cu-MOF and Cr/Mn-MOF are similar. 12 mmol of terephthalic acid is added to 20 mL of distilled water, and 11.4 mmol of chromium nitrate nonahydrate and 0.6 mmol of FeCl.sub.36H.sub.2O are dissolved in 20 mL of distilled water, respectively. The above solutions are transferred to a hydrothermal synthesis reaction kettle, 0.6 mL of HF is added and stirred uniformly. The reaction kettle is sealed and placed in a dryer of 210 C. for 6 hours. The product obtained is recorded as Cr/Fe-MOF. The FeCl.sub.36H.sub.2O is replaced by Cu(NO.sub.3).sub.23H.sub.2O and Mn(NO).sub.34H.sub.2O, respectively, and the products Cr/Cu-MOF and Cr/Mn-MOF are obtained according to the above steps.

(14) Embodiment 1 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu-MOF (0.30 g), acetonitrile (20 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 30 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatography were performed to obtain 1.06 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatography was about 96%, and the major by-product was 4-methylbenzoic acid).

(15) Steps of the column chromatography in embodiment 1 were as follows: (1) a silica gel column is filled with normal phase silica gel, and then a filtrate was stirred with an appropriate amount of the normal phase silica gel and the filtrate was repeatedly adsorbed on the silica gel; (2) washing was performed with petroleum ether, a fraction was collected, and a solvent was distilled to obtain p-xylene; (3) washing was performed with a mixture of petroleum ether and methanol having a ratio of 1:1, a fraction was collected, and the solvent was distilled to obtain 4-methylbenzoic acid; (4) washing was performed with methanol, a fraction was collected, and the solvent was distilled to obtain 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid. Column chromatography in other embodiments was similar.

(16) The 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid described in embodiment 1 was verified by comparing with a standard product, and reactants and products were detected and monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (The HPLC chromatogram was shown in FIG. 3).

(17) Embodiment 2 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cr-MOF (0.30 g), acetonitrile (30 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 30 C. for 3 hours, the reaction was stopped, cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.86 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 78%, and major by-products were p-methylbenzyl alcohol and 4-methylbenzoic acid).

(18) Embodiment 3 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Mn-MOF (0.30 g), acetonitrile (20 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 30 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.73 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 66%, and a major by-product was p-methylbenzyl alcohol).

(19) Embodiment 4 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu-MOF (0.30 g), acetic acid (10 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 30 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.55 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 50%, and a major by-product was 4-methylbenzoic acid).

(20) Embodiment 5 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu/Fe-MOF (0.20 g), acetonitrile (10 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 10 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.72 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 65%, and a major by-product was p-methylbenzyl alcohol).

(21) Embodiment 6 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu/Mn-MOF (0.40 g), acetic acid (5 mL), acetonitrile (5 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 100 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 1.01 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 92%, and a major by-product was 4-methylbenzoic acid.).

(22) Embodiment 7 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu/Mn-MOF (0.40 g), acetic acid (5 mL), acetonitrile (5 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 50 C. for 24 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 1.03 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 94%, and major by-products were p-methylbenzoic acid and terephthalic acid).

(23) Embodiment 8 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Fe-MOF (0.30 g), acetic acid (20 mL), and hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 70 C. for 5 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.68 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 62%, and a major by-product was terephthalic acid).

(24) Embodiment 9 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu-MOF (0.50 g), ethanol (50 mL), hydrogen peroxide (30%, 2.0 mL, density 1.111 g/mL, 65 mmol) were successively added, after reacting at 70 C. for 1 hour, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.70 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 64%, and a major by-product was p-methylbenzyl alcohol).

(25) Embodiment 10 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cr/Fe-MOF (0.50 g), and ethanol (20 mL) were successively added, and N.sub.2O (50 mL/min) was continuously introduced, after reacting at 70 C. for 1 hour, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.29 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 26%, and major by-products were p-methylbenzyl alcohol, 4-methylbenzoic acid and terephthalic acid).

(26) Embodiment 11 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Cu-MOF (0.50 g), and acetone (20 mL) were successively added, and O.sub.3 (60 mL/min) was continuously introduced, after reacting at 50 C. for 2 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.88 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 80%, and major by-products were 4-methylbenzoic acid and terephthalic acid).

(27) Embodiment 12 1.0 mL of p-xylene (about 8 mmol) was added to a 100 mL round bottom flask, Mn/Fe-MOF (0.40 g), acetone (20 mL), and t-butyl hydroperoxide (3 mL) were successively added, after reacting at 50 C. for 2 hours, the reaction was stopped, and cooling, filtration and column chromatogram were performed to obtain 0.90 g of 4-(Hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (a yield of the column chromatogram was about 82%, and a major by-product was 4-methylbenzoic acid).

(28) While pointing out the preferred implementations of the present invention, the above embodiments are presented as illustrations only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. The essential features of the present invention are can be clearly understood through the foregoing discussions and the embodiments, and the present invention may be modified to meet various applications and conditions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.