ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Reductive Condensation of Acetone to Methyl Isobutyl Ketone on a Bifunctional Catalys

D. Bombos, G. Bozga, M. Bombos, A. Stefan, and I. Stanciu

Chemical Research institute ICECHIM, 772 08 Bucharest, Romania

Abstract: The methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was obtained in vapour phase, from acetone and hydrogen in a single step, using Pd/(Zn) H-ZSM-5 as a catalyst. The chemical transformation occurs in a sequence of two steps, acetone condensation to mesityl oxide on the acidic sites of zeolite, followed by the mesityl oxide hydrogenation to MIBK on the palladium metallic sites.The experiments were performed in a continuous fixed bed reactor at 0.5 MPa, 135-210°C, hydrogen/acetone mole ratios of 0.5-9, and acetone mass hourly space velocity of 0.15-1 h^-1 The experimental data showed that the hydrogenation step occurs very fast compared with the condensation one, the intermediary mesityl oxide not being identified in the reaction mixture. The obtained acetone conversion was up to 55 % and MIBK selectivity between 83 % and 94 %. A kinetic model was also proposed, assuming that the overall process rate is controlled by the acetone condensation step.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 543a171.pdf

Chemical Papers 54 (3) 171–176 (2000)