The oxidation of pure liquid-phase cumene by oxygen under the atmospheric pressure was studied at temperatures 90, 100 and 110 degrees Centigrade in absence of catalyst.
The chain reaction mechanism for the early stage of the reaction, where the cumene concentration stays essentially constant, was conformed with the previous results by Emanuel et al. In this work the range of the cumene concentration was extended until up to 30 % of cumene initially charged was converted. A rigorous kinetic formula was derived, and was tested to this wider range of the concentration change. It was concluded that the formations of OH and RO radicals from cumene hydroperoxide was the only necesscerary step for giving rise to acetophenone if there were produced any within the conditions tested.
The rather insignificant of α,α'-dimethyl phenyl carbinol was found due to the reaction between RO radicals and cumene molecules in the early stage of the reaction, and the reaction among RO₂radicals themselves in the later stage of the reaction.
In any case, the formation of these and other products was found trivial, and cumene hydroperoxide seemed to be the sole important product in this type of a reaction.