Liquid phase oxidation of 4-methylanisole to 2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone over Cu/MCM-41

The oxidation of 4-methylanisole (MA) to 2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (MMBQ) in acetic acid using H2O2 as oxidant over Cu/MCM-41 was studied for the first time. Efficient conversion rate of MA (81%) and reasonable selectivity of MMBQ (78%) was obtained. Fast hot catalyst filtration experiment proved that Cu/MCM-41 acted as a heterogeneous catalyst and it can be reused a number of times with almost the same activity.