The invention relates to a process for synthesizing p-tert-butylbenzoic acid. The process comprises the following steps of: adding p-tert-butyltoluene and 
cobalt acetate into a reaction kettle, introducing 
oxygen-containing gas, triggering at the temperature of between 150 and 155 DEG C, performing oxidation reaction for 0.5 to 1 hour, and continuously reacting at the temperature of between 135 and 145 DEG C for more than 5 hours to obtain a p-tert-butylbenzoic acid crude product; cooling the p-tert-butylbenzoic acid crude product to crystallize, performing 
centrifuge dripping, and striking and washing by using p-tert-butyltoluene to obtain a 
centrifugation crude product; and adding the 
centrifugation crude product into a 
dissolution kettle, adding methylbenzene, raising temperature and dissolving, filtering when a mixture is hot to remove impurities, adding water to wash, transferring materials to a recrystallization kettle, cooling to crystallize, centrifuging, striking and washing by using methylbenzene, and 
drying to obtain a p-tert-butylbenzoic acid finished product. The prepared p-tert-butylbenzoic acid is white crystals and does not contain mechanical impurities; and the 
melting point is 164.0 to 167.0 DEG C, the 
acid value is 312 to 316mgKOH / g, 
high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purity is more than or equal to 99.2 percent, 
moisture is less than or equal to 0.08 percent, and methylbenzene is less than or equal to 0.05 percent.