Oxidation Reaction of Phenol with H₂O₂ Catalyzed by Metallomicelles Made of Co(II) and Cu(II) Complexes of Imidazole Groups and Micelle as Mimic Peroxidase

The imidazole derivatives (N,N‐bis(2‐ethyl‐5‐methyl‐imidazole‐4‐ylmethyl) amino‐propane (biap)) and its complexes containing cobalt or copper ion were synthesized in this study. The oxidation reaction of phenol with oxidant H₂O₂ catalyzed by the metallomicelle made of the complexes of imidazole groups and micelle (CTAB, Brij35, LSS) as the mimetic peroxidase was studied. The results show that the reaction rate for the catalytic oxidation of phenol increases by a factor of approximately 1×10⁵ in the metallomicelle over that in the simple micelles or the pure buffer solution at pH=6.9 and 25°C. The catalytic effects changed with H₂O₂, temperature, pH, and surfactant kind in the catalytic reactive process are discussed. A kinetic mathematic model of the phenol oxidation catalyzed by the metallomicelle is proposed.

Keywords:

• Metallomicelle
• mimic peroxidase
• kinetics
• phenol oxidation

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the educational department of the Sichuan government in China.