Two-Phase Flow Oxidation of Valeraldehyde with O₂ in a Microstructured Reactor

Microstructured reactors are the ideal device for highly exothermic reactions. In this work, the highly exothermic two-phase reaction of valeraldehyde with oxygen to valeric acid was carried out in a microreactor. The used device from one-A Engineering Austria GmbH is designed for process development and intensification and can be applied in the scale-up process to small-scale commercial production. The atom economic oxidation of valeraldehyde is performed at 0 to 40 °C with a catalytic amount of manganese­(II) acetate. A continuous flow oxidation of aldehydes in such reactors can be a safe and beneficial alternative to commercial batch processes.