Oxidation of Benzaldehyde to Benzoic Acid

Abstract Benzaldehyde was oxidized to benzoic acid using Na2WO4·2H2O as a catalyst. Different factors, such as different acidic additives, the reaction time, the amount of catalyst, and hydrogen peroxide dosage, on the isolated yield of benzoic acid were investigated. The effects of surfactants on yield of benzoic acid were also discussed in the acid-free system. The results indicated that both acidic additives and surfactants in an acid-free system can effectively improve the isolated yield of benzoic acid, especially non-ionic surfactants, such as β–CD. The product was determined by IR and m.p.