Chromic Acid Oxidation of Aromatic Acetals in Aqueous Acetic Acid Medium. A Kinetic and Mechanistic Study

Post-Graduate Department of Chemistry, The Autonomous St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli-620 002 Manuscript received 18 August 1986, revised 9 September 1987 accepted December 1987 When aromatic acetals of benzaldehyde and substituted-benzaldehyde with aliphatic alcohols are subjected to chromic acid oxidation in aqueous acetic acid medium, the corresponding esters are the main products. The oxidation follows a total second order kinetics, first order each in [acetal] and [CrVI ]. The decrease of solvent polarity increases the rate of oxidation. The rate-determining step is assumed to be the elimination of proton from the complex species involving the acetal and chromium. The activation enthalpies and entropies of the oxidation of aromatic acetals are linearly related