Catalysis Today, Vol.27, No.1-2, 151-158, 1996
Kinetic Evaluation of the Direct Synthesis of Ethers from Alcohols over Sulfonated Resin Catalysts
The acidic Amberlyst-35 sulfonated resin effectively catalyzes the coupling of methanol + isobutanol and ethanol + isobutanol mixtures in the gas-phase to give methyl isobutyl ether and ethyl isobutyl ether, respectively. The reaction occurs via a S(N)2 reaction pathway involving two adsorbed alcohol molecules and is successfully described by a simple Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics.