Process for preparing substituted aromatic carboxylic acids

1. A process of preparing an aromatic carboxylic acid having a heteroatom containing substituent ortho, meta, or β of said carboxylic acid comprising:

reacting in a reaction vessel an aromatic precursor having an aromatic core having at least one heteroatom containing substituent and at least one hydrogen with a haloacetonitrile under reaction conditions to form an aromatic acetonitrile with an acetonitrile moiety and at least one heteroatom containing substituent, said heteroatom containing substituent ortho, meta, or β of said acetonitrile moiety;

exposing said aromatic acetonitrile having at least one heteroatom containing substituent to an oxidizing agent under conditions to convert the acetonitrile moiety into a carboxylic acid group to prepare said aromatic carboxylic acid having at least one heteroatom containing substituent ortho, meta, or β of said carboxylic acid.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said aromatic acetonitrile is formed and the at least one heteroatom containing substituent is unchanged.

3. The process of claim 1 further comprising adding an alkoxide to the reaction vessel prior to the reacting step.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the alkoxide is a tert-butyl oxide.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the alkoxide comprises an alkali metal alkoxide.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the alkali metal is present in equimolar or lower amount in the reaction vessel relative to the aromatic precursor.

7. The process of claim 5 wherein the alkoxide further comprises a transition metal alkoxide.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the transition metal alkoxide is a copper alkoxide and further comprising a copper ligand.

9. The process of claim 3 wherein the alkoxide comprises:

a tert-butyl alkali metal alkoxide present in an equimolar or less amount relative to the aromatic precursor;

a copper tert-butyl oxide; and

a copper ligand.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the aromatic precursor is a dinitro benzene.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the aromatic core is phenyl, naphthyl, anthracyl, phenanthracyl, or quinolyl or isoquinolyl; and the at least one heteroatom containing substituent is two like heteroatom containing substituents.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the two like heteroatom containing substituents are both nitro moieties.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the at least one heteroatom containing substituent comprises at least one sulfonyl moiety.

14. A process of preparing an aromatic carboxylic acid having a heteroatom containing substituent comprising:

performing a two step reaction

wherein a first step comprises reacting (Z) n —Ar—H with XCH 2 CN to produce (Z) n —Ar—CH 2 CN;

and

wherein a second step comprises reacting said (Z) n —Ar—CH 2 CN under oxidizing conditions;

where Ar is an aromatic or polyaromatic core; Z is independently in each instance a heteroatom containing substituent of —NO 2 , —SO 3 -M + , —SO 3 R, or —OR; n is an integer value of between 1 and 4; X is Cl, Br or I; M + is H + or alkali metal cations; R is C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, to form an aromatic carboxylic acid having a heteroatom containing substituent ortho, meta, or β of said acid.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein Ar is one of phenyl, naphthyl, anthracyl, phenanthracyl, quinolinyl, or isoquinolinyl.