The oxidative coupling reaction of 2,6-dimethylphenol with H2O2 catalyzed by a copper(Ⅱ) Schiff complex in aqueous and Triton X-100 micellar solution under mild conditions was investigated. The kinetics of formation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diphenoquinone (DPQ) was studied. Rate constant k2 were obtained. The optimum pH for DPQ generation reaction is 7.25. The main product was DPQ in aqueous buffer solution, but PPE and the oxidized products of PPE remained in Triton X-100 micellar solution.
