Study on the Synthesis of Butyl Butyrate with the Catalysis of Phosphotungstic Acid Supported by Activated Carbon

Catalyzed by home-made PW_(12)/C,butyl butyrate was synthesized from butanol and butyric acid.From the study on influence factors,the optimal condition for the synthesis of butyl butyrate was got as follows:the supported amount by the phosphotungstic acid was about 21%.The molar ratio of butanol and butyric was 1.5∶1 and the reaction time was 2.5 hours.The amount of catalyst was as 2% as the mass of butyric;the amount of toluene as water carrying agent was 10 ml.Finally,the esterification yield reached 94.5%.Catalyst was used repeatedly,and the sixth esterification yield could still reach 90.7%.Compared with the method of catalyzing by concentrated sulfuric acid,this method had many advantages,such as low amount of catalyst,high catalytic activity,non-corrosion,repeatable usage and easier separation etc.