Oxidation of Benzhydrol to Benzophenone through the Optimization of Various Parameters in Microwave Irradiation

Microwave irradiation can increase the speed of a reaction and cause different amounts of product to be formed through the varying of three key parameters: temperature, time, and wattage. The oxidation reaction of benzhydrol with chromium trioxide resin (polymer-supported chromic acid) in dichloromethane under varying conditions of time, temperature, and wattage was studied. After completing 96 experiments with various parameter combinations using microwave-assisted synthesis, the data was analyzed using a factorial design analysis software. Minitab, to determine which parameter(s) had the largest effect on the amount of benzophenone produced. The percent conversion of benzophenone was determined by ¹H-NMR analysis. The data shows that temperature has the most effect on the percent conversion to benzophenone, while time and wattage show no direct effect on percent conversion