Esterification in Ionic Liquids

In this paper we present a systematic study on the influence of different parameters on the phase equilibrium of esterification systems. As model systems esterifications of ethanol, 1-propanol and 1-butanol with acetic acid conducted in ionic liquids was studied. The ionic liquids used were 1-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate [HMIM][HSO4], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate [EMIM][HSO4] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate [BMIM][HSO4]. Through the variation of the cation, alcohol and temperature in the range 30 to 50°C we obtained their influence on ternary and five compound systems containing reactants and products of these esterification reactions. This has been used to compare the product quality in a 10-stage cascade under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. 1