This work reports on iron-catalysed hydroxylation of benzene and toluene using aqueous H2O2. While benzene is hydroxylated with a high selectivity to phenol, toluene is hydroxylated to cresols with a high selectivity for the ortho and para-position. An inverse KIE indicates the presence of a high valent Fe=O species during catalysis.

In this study, NRTL and UNIQUAC thermodynamic models were used to predict the composition of ternary mixtures of solvents+ m/o/p-cresol+ water in organic and aqueous phases. Various solvents are used for the separation of cresols from water. In this study, methyl propyl ketone, methyl isopropyl ketone, methyl butyl ketone, and methyl isobutyl ketone solvents were investigated. Intermolecular in...

The effects of six phenolic compounds (o-, m-, and p-cresol and 2-, 3-, and 4-ethylphenol) on the anaerobic biodegradation of phenol was examined in batch methanogenic cultures. Results showed that ethylphenols were more inhibitory of phenol degradation than were cresols. The inhibitory effects of the three isomers of cresol and ethylphenol did not vary with the isomer but rather with the subst...