Kinetics and mechanism of gas phase MTBE and ETBE formation on Keggin and Wells–Dawson heteropolyacids as catalysts

The paper reviews the work of the authors concerning the mechanism and kinetics of catalytic gas phase formation of tertiary ethers: methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl-tert-butyl ether (ETBE). The mechanism of tertiary ethers synthesis from alcohol and isobutene was proposed. Basing on the sorption of reagents and IR investigations the elementary steps of reactions were proposed. As the rate determining step two possible reactions: formation of carbocation and formation of ether from alcohol supplied from the bulk and protonated isobutene were discussed. The general rate equation was formulated.