Process Variables of the Esterification Reaction of 3-Pentadecylphenol and Acryloyl Chloride Catalyzed by an Ionic Liquid

An efficient method was investigated for the synthesis of 3-pentadecylphenyl acrylate (PDPA) via one-pot reaction of esterification in the presence of an ionic liquid as catalyst. In order to understand the esterification reaction process, a mathematical relationship between the yield of esterification and the process variables was established by employing central composite design. The maximum yield of esterification of 3-pentadecylphenol (PDP) and acryloyl chloride (AC) catalyzed by imidazole ionic liquid was found to be 85%. A statistical model predicted that the highest esterification reaction yield would be >88% under optimized reaction conditions. The predicted values for optimum process conditions thus obtained were in agreement with the experimental values, thereby indicating the suitability of the model.