Synthesis of iso-amyl acetate catalyzed by ferric chloride supported on activated carbon

Iso-amyl acetate was synthetized from acetic acid and iso-amyl alcohol, using ferric chloride supported activated carbon as the catalyst. The influences of reaction conditions on the esterification rate were investigated . The optimum reaction condition were obtained as follows: 0.1 mol acetic acid, iso-amyl-alcohol-to-acetic acid molar ratio=1.5, m(catalyst)=1.0 g,m(water-carrying reagent toluene)=15 mL, reaction temperature 110-118 ℃, reaction time 2.5 h. Esterification rate of over 90% was attained.