Alcohol Dehydration: Mechanism of Ether Formation Using an Alumina Catalyst

Ether formation during the dehydration of secondary alcohols, namely, 2-butanol, 3-pentanol, and 1-cyclopentylethanol, was investigated. Using the proper reaction conditions, the yield of di-2-butyl ether during the dehydration of 2-butanol on alumina can be as high as 40%. That ether is formed by a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of catalysis 1995-12, Vol.157 (2), p.359-367
Main Authors: Shi, B.C., Davis, B.H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysis
Catalytic reactions
Chemistry
Exact sciences and technology
General and physical chemistry
Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ether formation during the dehydration of secondary alcohols, namely, 2-butanol, 3-pentanol, and 1-cyclopentylethanol, was investigated. Using the proper reaction conditions, the yield of di-2-butyl ether during the dehydration of 2-butanol on alumina can be as high as 40%. That ether is formed by adding an alcohol to the alkene is ruled out by the results from deuterium tracer studies. Results from experiments using S(+)-2-butanol suggest that the formation of di-2-butyl ether occurs by a SN2-type mechanism.
ISSN:0021-9517
1090-2694
DOI:10.1006/jcat.1995.1301