The thermodynamics, mechanism and kinetics of the catalytic conversion of propylene and water to diisopropyl ether over amberlyst 15

Bibliography: leaves 297-313.Diisopropyl ether (DIPE) was synthesised in a single step from a feed of propylene and water over Amberlyst 15 ion exchange resin catalyst. It was produced in a trickle bed reactor at pressures between 1 bar and 60 bar, at temperatures between 70°C and 160°C and at overall propylene to water ratios between 1:5 and 10:1. Reaction proceeded in the liquid phase within the catalyst particles. The only reactions that occurred in the system were the hydration of propylene to form isopropanol (IPA) , the alkylation of IPA with propylene to form DIPE and the bimolecular dehydration of IP A to form DIPE and water. No side reactions such as propylene oligomerisation were observed. Starting from a feed of propylene and water the primary reaction product was IPA. IPA was subsequently consumed in two secondary reactions which produced DIPE. DIPE was produced either by the alkylation of IPA with propylene or by the bimolecular dehydration of IPA. It was generally not possible to study the two DIPE formation reactions separately as they are linked via the propylene hydration reaction. All experimental data was thus reported in terms of a hydration rate and an etherification rate, the latter being the sum of the IPA alkylation and the bimolecular IPA dehydration rates