Michael condensation in a two-phase system: The application of inverse phase-transfer catalysis to the reaction of butyl acrylate with diethylamine in a water-heptane system

Abstract

The kinetics of a heterogeneous reaction of fat-soluble butyl acrylate (BA) with water-soluble diethylamine (DEA) in a two-phase water–heptane system in the presence and absence of small amounts of water-soluble surfactants was studied by the methods of inverse phase-transfer and interfacial catalysis. It was found that the rate of the reaction in either a homogeneous medium or the two-phase system is described by the same equation, w0 = k[BA]0[DEA]0. The influences of the type and concentration of surfactant, temperature, stirring rate, interfacial surface area, and degree of dispersion on the reaction rate were studied. The rate of the reaction of BA with DEA in the presence of a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide) increased by almost two orders of magnitude in the two-phase system at high stirring rates.