Investigation on Preparation of p-Benzoquinone through the Organoselenium-Catalyzed Selective Oxidation of Phenol

Selective oxidation of phenol to produce p-benzoquinone is an important reaction with good industrial application value. The method for the synthesis of p-benzoquinone through the organoselenium-catalyzed selective oxidation of phenol with H2O2 is reported. Compared with known technologies, organoselenium-catalyzed oxidation reactions avoided the use of metal catalysts and the metal residue in products. The reaction procedures were very clean and were performed under mild conditions. By using this method, the selectivity of p-benzoquinone could reach 91.6% at the maximum.