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Question

Mehtylbenzene is reacted with oxygen with the help of a catalyst to forom benzonic acid.

How Does the catalyst Help?

(ANSWER ONLY IN A FEW SENTENCES)

And which statement describe the high atom economy?

*All atoms are cheap.

*Most of starting material end up as useful product.

*Only a small number of atoms are used in the reaction.

(ONLY ONE OF THEM IS THE CORRECT ANSWER)

Answer 1

Hello,

The oxidation of methylbenzene (toluene) to benzoic acid not only goes at lower temperature and more readily with a catalyst,  but you get the product that you want.  Without the catalyst,  the reaction may require very high temperature and you may get some oxidation and even combustion of the toluene.

For high atom economy,  most of the starting material ends up as product.   That's the definition of high atom economy.   The percentage calculation of atom economy is:

Atom economy  =  mass of products /  mass of starting materials

Answer 2

Most of the starting material is turned into the product.

This is because a catylst makes a reaction happen faster and more efficiently. The catylst may participate in the reaction directly, but is returned to its initial state after the products form. It is then ready to be reused again.