What is continuous etherification?
1 Answer
Continuous etherification is an acid-catalyzed process that involves the mixing of streams of reactants and removing the product at the same time.
Explanation:
It has the advantage that large quantities of products can be prepared in a short period of time.
It can be run for days or weeks without interruption, but it requires special equipment.
The process is used industrially to make methyl acetate and ethyl acetate.
The Williamson synthesis is a "batch" process that uses an alkyl halide and an alkoxide. For example,
The reactants are mixed and the reaction is carried out in a single "pot", and the ester is then isolated and purified.
