Abstract
The orientation of benzoic acid and terephthalic acid on alumina was ascertained by IR measurements. Benzoic acid was chemisorbed as a carboxylate anion with a vertical conformation of the benzene ring (0 < θ < 1.0) and as a mixture of the anion and the acid (1.0 < θ). Terephthalic acid was chemisorbed as a mixture of monocarboxylate anion (hydrogenterephthalate) and dicarboxylate anion (0 < θ < 0.3), as the monocarboxylate anion with a vertical conformation of benzene ring (0.3 < θ < 1.0) and a mixture of the monocarboxylate anion and terephthalic acid (1.0 < θ). The carboxyl group of expected hydrogenterephthalate adsorbed through the carboxylate anion on alumina (θ = 0.8 : 0.37 mmol g−1 alumina) readily reacted with dimethyl sulphate to form monomethyl terephthalate selectively.

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