Kinetics of esterification of the levulinic acid with n-hexanol,n-octanol,and n-decanol in the presence of dodecatungstophosphoric acid as a catalyst

Levulinic acid was esterified with n-hexanol, n-octanol, and n-decanol at 393–413 K and at molar ratios of between 3:1 and 10:1 (alcohol: acid) in the presence of the dodecatungstophosphoric acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀) as catalyst (0.1 wt%) to study the reaction kinetics. The results of such study are the precise form of kinetic equation, which is indispensable in design and optimization of industrial-scale chemical reactors. The authors stated that reactions were of second order and that the activation energy (E) decreased from 66 to 53 kJ/mol in the following alcohol sequence: n-hexanol > n-octanol > n-decanol.