Catalyst comprising N-substituted cyclic imide compound and process for producing organic compound using the catalyst

A process for producing an organic compound, the process comprising the step of

• allowing (A) a compound capable of forming a radical selected from the group consisting of:
• (A4) compounds each having a carbon-hydrogen bond at the adjacent position to an unsaturated bond selected from the group consisting of toluene;
• ethylbenzene;
• isopropylbenzene;
• benzaldehyde;
• mixtures of toluene, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene and benzaldehyde;
• p-xylene;
• p-isopropyltoluene;
• p-diisopropylbenzene;
• p-tolualdehyde;
• p-toluic acid;
• p-carboxybenzaldehyde;
• mixtures of p-xylene, p-isopropyltoluene, p-diisopropylbenzene, p-tolualdehyde, p-toluic acid and p-carboxybenzaldehyde;
• m-xylene;
• m-tolualdehyde;
• m-carboxybenzaldehyde;
• mixtures of m-xylene, m-tolualdehyde and m-carboxybenzaldehyde;
• pseudocumene;
• dimethylbenzaldehyde;
• dimethylbenzoic acid;
• mixtures of pseudocumene, dimethylbenzaldehyde and dimethylbenzoic acid;
• durene;
• trimethylbenzaldehyde;
• trimethylbenzoic acid;
• mixtures of durene, trimethylbenzaldehyde and trimethylbenzoic acid;
• 3-methylquinoline;
• and β-picoline;
• and
• (A5) non-aromatic cyclic hydrocarbons selected from the group consisting of 3- to 30-membered cycloalkane ring, and 3- to 30-membered cycloalkene ring;
• to react with
• (B) a radical scavenging compound which is
• (B4) oxygen-atom-containing reactants selected from the group consisting of oxygen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, nitric acid, nitrous acid, and salts thereof;
• at a reaction temperature of from 0° C. to 300° C., and a reaction pressure of from 0.1 to 10 MPa, in the presence of a catalyst comprising an imide compound having a N-substituted cyclic imide skeleton represented by following
• Formula (1):
• wherein R is a group obtained from an acid selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, carbonic acid, carbamic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acids and boric acids by eliminating an OH group from the acid;
• R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and are each a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group each having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl group, -five or six membered cycloalkyl group, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, a carboxyl group, a substituted oxycarbonyl group which is at least one selected from the group consisting of C1-C20 alkoxy-carbonyl groups, 3 to 15 membered cycloalkyloxycarbonyl groups, C6-C20 aryloxy-carbonyl groups, C7-21 aralkyloxy-carbonyl groups, an acyl group and an acyloxy group, where at least two of R1, R2, R3 and R4 may be combined with each other to form a double bond, an aromatic or non-aromatic ring each having from 5 to 12 members, and where at least one N-substituted cyclic imido group indicated in Formula (1) may further be formed on R1, R2, R3 and R4 or on the double bond, the aromatic or non-aromatic ring formed by at least two of R1, R2, R3 and R4,
• to yield an addition or substitution reaction product between the compound (A) and the compound (B) or a product of a reaction selected from the group consisting of dehydration reaction, cyclization reaction, decarboxylation reaction, rearrangement reaction and isomerization reaction of said addition or substitution reaction product.