Catalytic Synthesis of Isopropyl Chloroacetate by Ferric Tri(Dodecanesulfonate)

The esterification of chloroacetic acid with isopropyl alcohol catalyzed by Ferric tri(dodecanesulfonate) is reported. The effect of different factors, such as reaction time, the amount of catalysts and the ratio of chloroacetic acid to isopropyl alcohol on the yield of isopropyl chloroacetate were studied. The experiment results show that the best of reaction condition are as follows: when the amount of chloroacetic acid is 0.1 mol, the ratio of isopropyl alcohol to chloroacetic acid is 1.3, the amount of catalysts is 2 g(2.5 mmol), cyclohexane as the water-carrying agent is 6 mL. Through reacting 60 min, the yield of isopropyl chloroacetate reached 86.7%. The product is colorless and transparent. The catalyst keep high capability after reuse five times. In this process, under the mild reaction condition, the three wastes can not be produced with easy manipulation and after-treatment, and short reaction time. The product is characterized by IR.