Condensation and oxidation of alkylaromatic compounds with tetravalent cerium compounds as promoters

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR THE CONDENSATION OF AN ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 7 AND 18 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 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 AND 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 WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYLAROMATICS IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF A GAS WHICH CONTAINS FREE MOLECULAR OXYGN AND ANY OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIC OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND WATER AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60*C. AND 300*C. WITH A PROMOTER CONSISTING OF AN ANHYDROUS CERIUM SALT WHEREIN CERIUM HAS A VALENCE OF PLUS FOUR AND WHEREIN SAID CERIUM SALT HAS A WATER SOLUBILITY AT 25*C. OF AT LEAST 0.05 GRAM PER 100 GRAMS OF WATER.

Claim 3

A PROCESS FOR THE CONDENSATION AND OXIDATION OF AN ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 7 AND 18 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 1 AND 4 ALKYL GROUPS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYL GROUPS HAVING AT LEAST TWO HYDROGEN ATOMS 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 AND 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 WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYLAROMATICS IN THE PRESENCE OF A GAS WHICH CONTAINS FREE MOLECULAR OXYGEN AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60*C. AND 300*C. WITH A PROMOTER CONSISTING OF AN ANHYDROUS CERIUM SALT WHEREIN CERIUM HAS A VALENCE OF PLUS FOUR AND WHEREIN SAID CERIUM SALT HAS A WATER SOLUBILITY AT 25*C. OF AT LEAST 0.05 GRAM PER 100 GRAMS OF WATER, SAID CONTACTING BEING IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIC OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND WATER.

Claim 4

A PROCESS FOR THE CONDENSATION AND OXIDATION OF AN ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 7 AND 18 CARBON ATOMS, SAID ALKYL-MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUND HAVING BETWEEN 1 AND 4 ALKYL GROUPS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYL GROUPS HAVING AT LEAST TWO HYDROGEN ATOMS 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 AND 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 WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ALKYLAROMATICS IN THE PRESENCE OF A GAS WHICH CONTAINS FREE MOLECULAR OXYGEN AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60*C. AND 300*C. WITH A PROMOTER CONSISTING OF AN ANHYDROUS CERIUM SALT WHEREIN CERIUM HAS A VALENCE OF PLUS FOUR AND WHEREIN SAID CERIUM SALT HAS A WATER SOLUBILITY AT 25*C. OF AT LEAST 0.05 GRAM PER 100 GRAMS OF WATER, SAID CONTACTING BEING IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIC OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND WATER.