Preparation of an aromatic ester from an alkyl-aromatic compound and a carboxylic acid in the presence of a tetravalent cerium salt and an inhibitor

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SELECTIVE PRODUCTION OF ESTERS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT LEAST ONE ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 7 TO 18 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BEBETWEEN 1 AND 4 ALKYL GROUPS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYL GROUPS HAVING AT LEAST ONE HYDROGEN ATOM ATTACHED TO A CARBON ATOM WHICH IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO AN AROMATIC RING, AND WHICH CARBON ATOM ALSO FORMS A PART OF SAID ALKYL GROUP, SAID ALKYL GROUP HAVING BETWEEN 1 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS AND HAVING NO OLEFINIC UNSATURATION BETWEEN THE ALPHA AND BETA CARBON ATOMS OF SAID ALKYL GROUP, THE REMAINING OPEN POSITIONS ON SAID ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC HAVING SUBSTITUENTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN, HALOGEN, NO2 AND -C$N WITH A PROMOTER COMPRISING A TETRAVALENT CERIUM SALT WHICH HAS A WATER SOLUBILITY AT 25*C. OF AT LEAST 0.05 GRAM PER 100 GRAMS OF WATER AND A MONOBASIC ORGANIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FATTY ACIDS HAVING FROM 2 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND CHLOROACTERIC ACID UNDER ESTERIFICATION CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60* AND 300*C. AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN INHIBITOR SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER AND A SOLUBLE SALT OF AN ORGANIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALI METAL, ALKALINE EARTH METAL, AND AMMONIUM SALTS OF A FATTY ACID HAVING BETWEEN 2 AND 10 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE.