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How make triethyl citrate?
Is making citric acid with ethanol, with normal conditions (temperature, pressure, without catalytic substance) can lead to triethyl citrate?
@Perry @Pharma @Cafe33 @chemicalmatt -
4 Replies
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What do you define as normal conditions?In order to get the triester in a quantitative amount, a water-free environment or a water-removing condition (e.g. Dean-Stark apparatus) is required. Also, elevated temperatures and/or pressure are mandatory (given enough time, boiling may suffice). By preference, an acid catalyst should be used to bring time down from days/weeks to hours.This means, dissolving citric acid (which is usually sold as hydrate) in ethanol (which is usually not used in anhydrous form) and just let it sit around at room temperature will remain citric acid dissolved in ethanol for all eternity. -
@Pharma normal conditions means room temperature, atmospheric pressure and without catalytic substance . And thanks for your answer.
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Im making a Dean-stark alike aparatus for a 100l reactor to make some esters, my problem right now is that i cant buy Sulhpuric Acid, i Will try with phosphoric an see. I Will try Benzyl and n-propyl acetate .
Im pretty sure that you cant Achive a Esterificacion in normal conditions. You Will need to Heat and mix the product, the pressure Will rise a little although you need to use a reflux condenser and a wáter trap
You also need a catalyst as h2s04 to beging the reaction
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@luiscuevasii thanks for that interesting reply, so even citric acid needs catalytic substance for such reaction?
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