In industry, these oxidations of xylene isomers are carried out under aggressive conditions. In the
industrial production of terephthalic acid, p-xylene is oxidized by air in acetic acid at 200oC and a pressure of 20 atm. The catalyst system is made of bromides of heavy metals and salts of cobalt and
manganese. The reaction must be carried out in a titanium-lined reactor because the reaction mixture is
highly corrosive