OLIGOMERIC COPPER STYROMALEATE IN CATALYTIC REACTIONS OF RADICAL DECOMPOSITION OF TERT-BUTYLHYDROPEROXIDE AND CHAIN TERMINATION OF ISOPROPANOL OXIDATION

The reactivities in radical reactions of two heterogeneous catalysts, copper styromaleate and copper stearate supported on Chromaton, are co mpared. The comparison of effective bimolecular rate constants of the radical catalytic decomposition of tert-butylhydroperoxide shows that copper stearate is similar to 3000 times more active than the copper-c ontaining oligomer of the copolymer of styrene and maleic anhydride. I t is found by the comparison of effective rate constants of chain term ination of the initiated oxidation of isopropanol that stearate is sim ilar to 150 times more active as a negative catalyst than styromaleate . It is suggested that the catalytic activity of styromaleate is low d ue to the strong binding of the copper atom in the chelate unit formed by maleic acid.