Acidity dependence of the trifluoromethanesulfonic acid catalyzed isobutane-isobutylene alkylation modified with trifluoroacetic acid or water Original Research Article

Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFSA) catalyzed isobutane-isobutylene alkylation modified with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or water, was studied over a wide range of acidity (Ho: −10.1 to −14.1). The effect of the acidity of these nonoxidizing strong mixed acid systems on the alkylation, is reported. For both systems, the best alkylation conditions were those at an acid strength of about Ho= −10.7, giving a calculated research octane number (RON) of 89.1 (TFSA/TFA) and 91.3 (TFSA/H2O).