Dehydration of 1-pentanol to di-n-pentyl ether catalyzed by a microporous ion-exchange resin with simultaneous water removal

A good selectivity, more than 90%, and an excellent yield can be achieved in the DNPE synthesis by I-pentanol dehydration at 130-155 degrees C using a gel-type acidic resin. It is the result of shifting the equilibrium point to DNPE formation through the removal of the formed water during the chemical reaction by distillation and reflux of the organic phase. Alkenes have been obtained as byproducts with selectivities ranging from 5 to 10% in the final product. A kinetic model in terms of compound activities describes satisfactorily the kinetic data. It is based on a mechanism in which the rate-determining step is the surface reaction between two adjacent adsorbed 1-pentanol molecules. The activation energy obtained for the dehydration reaction is 115 kJ mol(-1). From the operation point of view, it has been proved that 1-pentanol dehydration can be successfully tracked by a calorimetric reactor equipped with a Fourier transform mid-infrared (FrIR) probe. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.