On the preparation of mellitic acid from hexa‐methylbenzene and on the hexachloride of mellitic acid

Abstract

Mellitic acid may be prepared by oxidation of hexamethylbenzene by means of concentrated nitric add at 120-160"; this method has the advantage that the crude reaction product already consists of rather pure mellitic acid; the yield of the pure product is about 35 yo of the theoretical.The hexachloride of mellitic acid has been prepared in the pure state. W e investigated the directions .of M a u m e n 6-L e c u i r, for preparing the potassium salt of mellitic acid by thermal decomposition of the potassium salt of tartaric acid; we obtained only very low yields of mellitic a d d by this method.Mellitic acid is difficult to obtain, unless mellite is available: this There are various directions for the preparation of mellitic acid by oxidation of graphite, charcoal, anthracite, carbon black and similar materials with fuming nitric acid and/or with alkaline permanganate. The yield of mellitic acid is greatly dependent on the nature of the starting materials used l). Apart from mellitic acid, other polycarboxylic acids and oxalic acid are formed. J u e t t n e r separates the mellitic acid as ammonium salt, after a purification by electrodialysis. He obtains yields of 20 to 30 grams of mellitic add (determined as ammonium salt), calculated on 100 grams of carbon in the starting material.Although we have no doubt that, in the case of sufficient experience, the methods mentioned are suitable for obtaining mellitic acid, they are cumbrous and lengthy. and little attractive from the point of view of preparation. In our experience, purification by electrodialysis is time consuming and far from easy. mineral, however, is rare.J u e t t n e r .

A Geomimetic Synthesis of Mellite: A Mineral Containing a Benzene Ring

“…24 Linus Pauling makes reference to the graphitemellitic acid transformation. 25 Mellitic acid can also be made by HNO 3 oxidation of hexamethylbenzene 26 and there is an early report of the oxidation of hexamethylbenzene by KMnO 4 taking two months. 27 The oxidation of organics to mellitic acid is considered as a possibility on the Martian subsurface as it occurs at varying depths of the Atacama Desert.…”