Kinetics of Oxidation of Diphenylmethane and Derivatives with Ce(IV) in Aqueous Acidic Acetonitrile

In aqueous acidic acetonitrilc solution cerium(IV) oxidizes diphenylmethane (Ph₂CH₂) to produce diphenylmethanol (Ph₂CHOH) first and then benzophenone (Ph₂CO). With the organic reductant in great excess, both the Ce(IV)-Ph₂CH₂ and Ce(IV)-Ph₂CHOH rcactions follow second-order kinetics. The rates of both reactions increase nonlinearly with increasing [H⁺] or with decreasing [H₂O]. Both kinetic and spectrophotometrc results indicate that replacement of water molecules by complex formation through the phenyl or hydroxyl group plays an important role in activating the reaction. Under similar conditions, the order of relative reactivities toward Ce(IV) oxidation is PhCH₂OH > CH₃CH₂OH > Ph2CHOH > Ph₂CH₂ > PhCH₃> (Ph₂CO, C₆H₆). Mechanistic interpretations of the kinetic results are presented.