OXIDATION OF METHYL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS BY NIOBIUM OXIDE (V). A STUDY ON THE REACTIVITY OF THE CATALYST SURFACE
Nb2O5; H2O2; methyl linoleate; Raman spectroscopy; oxidation; 9-oxo-nonanoic acid methyl ester; Hock rearrangement.
The catalytic properties of niobium oxide (V) (Nb2O5-CBMM) of different degrees: amorphous, optical and ultra-pure, untreated or heat treated at 400, 500, 700 and 900 ° C were studied, before and after the interaction with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), by UV-Visible spectroscopy in diffuse reflectance mode, Raman and FTIR-ATR. The presence of different reaction sites for the NbO7 and NbO8 type systems, which are directly related to the surface defects present in different states of crystallization, was totally characterized. The reactivity of different catalysts obtained from the niobium oxide (V) was investigated using methyl linoleate oxidation in the presence of H2O2 as a probe reaction. The reaction was monitored by GC-MS, as well as by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectrometry, with the dominant product of the reaction being 9-oxo-nonanoic acid methyl ester. Based on these results, a reaction mechanism was proposed involving an auto-oxidation process that initially leads to the formation of hydroperoxides that decompose rapidly via a Hock-like rearrangement, leading to the formation of aldehydes.