Esterification of ethenyl benzene and its derivatives with acetic acid in the presence of perchloric acid as a catalyst

Abstract

AbstractThe esterification process of ethenyl benzene and its derivative compounds (p‐methyl, p‐methoxy, p‐chloro, m‐methyl, m‐nitro and m‐chloro, respectively) was carried out with acetic acid and using perchloric acid as a catalyst. From the effects of the variables studied it could be concluded that: the temperature and the catalyst concentration influence positively over the olefin conversion, whereas the initial olefin concentration exert no effect over the same; and that the presence of perchloric salts exerts a different influence, depending on the temperature and on the catalyst concentration. It has been proven that the substituted radicals in the m‐ or p‐ positions exert an important influence over the conversion of the studied olefins, presenting growing reactivity in the following order: m‐nitro ethenyl benzene, m‐chloro ethenyl benzene, p‐chloro ethenyl benzene, m‐methyl ethenyl benzene, ethenyl benzene, p‐methyl ethenyl benzene and p‐methoxy ethenyl benzene. Finally, a kinetic and thermodynamic study has been done and the corresponding parameters have been calculated, with an adequate fitting.