Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Benzoic Acid from Benzoin Resin

Chemistry Alchemist - 5-9-2011 at 07:55

I know you can make Benzoic acid from tolulene and Potassium Permanganate but you can also make it from benzoin resin.... how would you do this?

not_important - 5-9-2011 at 08:10

Via dry distillation, but it's expensive and the yield is generally low.

You can also oxidise polystyrene, or distill the polystyrene to get (mostly) styrene and then oxidise that. Given that polystyrene is often found in trash this may be much cheaper than benzoin resin

Chemistry Alchemist - 5-9-2011 at 08:18

Quote: Originally posted by not_important  

You can also oxidise polystyrene, or distill the polystyrene to get (mostly) styrene and then oxidise that. Given that polystyrene is often found in trash this may be much cheaper than benzoin resin


How would i preform this method?

and also, the Benzoin resin is desolved in either ethanol i think, so would you just evaporate that to leave the resin?

Chemistry Alchemist - 9-9-2011 at 10:21

Quote: Originally posted by not_important  
Via dry distillation, but it's expensive and the yield is generally low.

You can also oxidise polystyrene, or distill the polystyrene to get (mostly) styrene and then oxidise that. Given that polystyrene is often found in trash this may be much cheaper than benzoin resin


How would you oxidize the polystyrene?

Bot0nist - 9-9-2011 at 17:18

Utfse please. Hector2000 has a thread titled "oxidation of styrene" on this very site.