how can we product benzyl alcohl from tolouen
Answers
Answer :-
It could theoretically be made directly from the oxidation, and is an intermediate on the way to the aldehyde. However, the alcohol can then be oxidized to the the aldehyde and then to the carboxylic acid. These secondary oxidations are easier to do than the first, and oxidations are generally performed in the presence of excess oxidant. Therefore, the aldehyde and acid are usually observed.
Answer :-
Decreasing the amount of oxidant is indeed the right way of going as typically the lower the conversion the higher the selectivity to the least oxygenated products of alkanes or analogs in their oxidation. However, the optimal conversion might be too low (impratical) for high selectivity. For this reason, instead of toluene I'd stay with the above suggested starting materials for the synthesis of benzyl alcohol.