Investigation of the formation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) with model molecules: Kinetics and mechanism of the catalytic esterification and alcoholysis reactions. I. Carboxylic acid catalysis (monofunctional reactants)

Abstract

AbstractMonofunctional compounds (benzoic acid, heptyl alcohol, and 2‐butoxy‐ethanol) were used to investigate the kinetics of the esterification and the alcoholysis reactions. Carboxylic acids (benzoic acid) are the only catalysts present in the reaction medium. The factors which influence the kinetics of the esterification reaction were studied: the nature of the carboxylic acid (substituents on the benzene ring), the nature of the alcohol, the composition of the reaction medium (alcohol alone or with another solvent, ester, or water). The results point out for an acyl type (AAC2) mechanism. The alcoholysis reaction needs the presence of carboxylic acid as a catalyst to occur significantly. A similar mechanism is proposed for both reactions: nucleophilic attack by the oxygen atom of the alcohol at the ion pair formed by protonation of the acid (esterification reaction) or by protonation of the ester (alcoholysis).