THE EFFECT OF P-TOLUENESULFONIC ACID CATALYST RATIO ON ETBE (ETHYL TERT-BUTYL ETHER) SYNTHESIS

• Main Author: Syarifatul 'aisyah, Ana
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/33658
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

ETBE (Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) is one of oxygenate compound that can be used as additives in gasoline. ETBE role is in increasing the octane number and oxygen content in gasoline blends. Advantages of ETBE compared to other oxygenate compound, is low solubility in water and has a small value of RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) so the evaporation power is low. ETBE synthesis can be performed from nucleophilic substitution reaction of tertiary butanol by ethanol in the presence of an acid catalyst. In this study, fractional distillation method is used with 1 M solution of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst. Evaporation temperature is maintained between 40–50 °C for 2 hours. The ratio of the amount of acid catalyst is set to seek influence on the yield obtained. Variations acid used, is 11.95, 17.93, 23.91, 29.89, dan 35.86 mole% of catalyst with a mole ratio of ethanol:t- butanol, which is 2:1. The product is extracted with saturated Na2CO3 (1:1) and dried with anhydrous MgSO4. Products that have been purified then characterized using FTIR, 1H- NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. FTIR spectroscopy results give a peak at wave number 1080.14 cm–1 which indicate a functional group of ether (C-O stretch). 1H-NMR spectroscopy results showed a triplet signal at a chemical shift of 1.04 ppm (CH3), singlet signal at a chemical shift of 1.07 ppm (3 pieces CH3), and the quartet signals at chemical shift 3.285 ppm (CH2). Meanwhile, the results of 13C-NMR spectroscopy showed signals at chemical shift 16.06 ppm (CH3), 27.32 ppm (3 pieces CH3), 56.52 (CH2), and 72.27 ppm (C- O). Based on spectroscopic data is known that ETBE has been formed. The results showed that the more mole% of p-toluenesulfonic acid is used as a catalyst, the more the yield of the product obtained.