The Use of Chemical Glass Reactor in the Preparation of N-Butyl Ether The preparation experiment of n-butyl ether can help student grasp the reaction theory and experimental method of n-butyl ether preparation by intermolecular dehydration. It can also let student learn how to use the chemical glass reactor during the experiment operation.
In order to get a better yield from the reversible reaction, there are two common methods. The first method is to make the cheap raw material excessive. The second method is to let one of the reaction products immediately separated from the reaction system after produced. As for the preparation of n-butyl ether, only the second method is available. So experimenter should use separator to eliminate the moisture at the same time of reaction. The chemical drug needed in this experiment includes n-butyl alcohol, concentrated sulfuric acid, anhydrous calcium chloride, 5% sodium hydroxide and saturated calcium chloride. The instrument needed in this experiment includes 50ml three-mouth flask, spherical condenser pipe, separator, thermometer, separating funnel and 25ml distilling flask. The first step of the n-butyl ether preparation is charging. Experimenter should add 15.5ml nbutyl alcohol, 2.2ml concentrated sulfuric acid and several zeolites in to the 100ml three-mouth flask. Then the thermometer should be set on one of the mouth of the flask after shaking up the liquor in the flask. The thermometer should be inserted below the liquid level and separator should be set on another mouth of the flask. The top of the separator should be set with reflux condenser pipe. The electric jacket is the heat source of the experiment. The second step is to heating the liquid material till the liquor boiling and backflow through the condenser pipe. The moisture produced during the reaction should be gathered in the bottom of the separator after condensing. The organic material on the top part of separator can back to the flask when the liquid level reaches to the branch pipe of separator. When separator is filled with
water the reaction is finished.