Esterification reactions industrial relevance

By far the most studied reactions combined with pervaporation is esterification. It is a typical example of an equilibrium-limited reaction with industrial relevance. 

Mainly PV aided conversions have been studied and more in particular esterifications, a typical example of an equilibrium limited reaction with industrial relevance and well-known reaction mechanisms. " This hybrid process has already made it to several industrial applications. The thermodynamic equilibrium in such a reaction can be easily shifted and obtained in a shorter reaction time by removing one of the products. Pervaporation is especially interesting because it is not limited by relative volatility or azeotropes and energy consumption is generally low, because only the fraction that permeates undergoes the liquid/vapor phase change. It can also be operated at lower temperatures, which can better match the optimal conditions for reaction. 

Lindblom and Blander (1980) have given a number of examples of relevance in the pharmaceutical industry. These include C-alkylations, 0-alkylations, and A-alkylations. The C-alkylation of phenylacetonitrile, (mono- and di-) alkylation of benzylpenicillin with a-chlorodiethyl carbonate (where the acid part and the halide part in the esterification would have degraded quickly under normal conditions adopted for the reaction), A-alkylation of purines and adenine, etc. are discussed at some length and the supremacy of PTC is clearly shown. 

The chemical reactivity of resin acids is determined hy the presence of hoth the double- bond system and the COOH group [5], The carboxylic group is mainly involved in esterification, salt formation, decarboxylation, nitrile and anhydrides formation, etc. These reactions are obviously relevant to both abietic- and pimaric-type acids (Rgs 4.1 and 4.3, respectively). The olefinic system can be involved in oxidation, reduction, hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Given the conjugated character of this system in the abietic-type acids, and the enhanced reactivity associated with it, much more attention has been devoted to these stractures. In terms of industrial applications, salt formation, esterification, and Diels-Alder additions are the most relevant reactions of resin acids. 

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