Catalytic activity of chitosan phosphotungstate in the esterification

The chitosan phosphotungstate was prepared and used for synthesis butyl acetate from n-butyl alcohol and acetic acid.The influences of catalyst quantity,molar ratio of n-butyl alcohol to acetic acid,reaction time and the pH of catalyst preparation on the yield were studied.The results show that chitosan phosphotungstate offer good catalytic activity in esterfication.When the catalyst was prepared in acidic aqueous solution,mass ratio of catalyst to acetic acid was 5%,molar ratio of alcohol to acid was 1.3∶1 and the reaction time was 5h,the yield of n-butyl alcohol was up to 54%.The catalyst can be used repeatedly.