How to use ethanol to prepare acetic acid? Detailed analysis and steps

In the chemical industry, the preparation of ethanol and acetic acid is a classic and important topic. Ethanol can be converted into acetic acid through a series of chemical reactions, which is widely used in chemical industry, food industry and medicine. How to prepare acetic acid with ethanol? This article will analyze the principle, reaction conditions and application in detail.

1. Ethanol into acetic acid basic reaction principle

To understand how to prepare acetic acid with ethanol, you need to master the reaction principle. The main reaction for the conversion of ethanol (C₂ HenzyOH) to acetic acid (CHliCOOH) is achieved through an oxidation reaction. Specifically, ethanol will undergo oxidation reaction under the action of oxygen, first forming acetaldehyde (CHYCHO), and then acetaldehyde continues to be oxidized to acetic acid. The chemical equation for this reaction is:

[ C2H5OH O2 \xrightarrow {Oxidized} CH3CHO H2O ] [ CH3CHO O2 \xrightarrow {Oxidized} CH3COOH ]

therefore, the process of converting ethanol to acetic acid is actually a continuous oxidation reaction.

2. Ethanol into acetic acid industrial reaction method

In industrial production, there are two main methods for preparing acetic acid from ethanol: one is through catalytic oxidation, and the other is through fermentation.

2.1 catalytic oxidation method

Catalytic oxidation is the most common industrial process and is particularly suitable for large-scale production. In this process, ethanol is oxidized with oxygen or air in the presence of a catalyst such as platinum or rhodium to produce acetic acid. The reaction generally requires higher temperatures and pressures to increase the reaction rate. The advantages of catalytic oxidation method are high yield, easy control of reaction conditions, and continuous production.

2.2 fermentation

Fermentation is a more traditional method, mainly used in the production of small-scale or natural products. Acetic acid is produced by a fermentation reaction of specific microorganisms (such as acetic acid bacteria) under the action of ethanol. The advantage of this method is that the cost is relatively low, but its reaction speed is slow and the requirements for the operating environment are high.

3. Ethanol into acetic acid reaction conditions

In carrying out the conversion of ethanol to acetic acid, the control of the reaction conditions is crucial. Different reaction conditions will directly affect the yield and purity of the product. Here are some key reaction conditions:

3.1 temperature and pressure

For catalytic oxidation processes, appropriate temperatures and pressures help to increase the rate of reaction. In general, the reaction temperature is between 150 and 300 ° C. and the pressure is between atmospheric pressure and 3MPa. Too low temperature will make the reaction rate slower, and too high temperature may lead to the occurrence of side reactions, affecting the purity of acetic acid.

3.2 Catalyst Selection

The choice of catalyst plays a key role in the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction. Commonly used catalysts include platinum, rhodium, copper and other noble metal catalysts. They can significantly increase the oxidation reaction rate of ethanol and reduce the formation of by-products.

4. Ethanol preparation of acetic acid application field

The industrial application of ethanol to acetic acid is very extensive, mainly in the following areas:

4.1 food industry

Acetic acid is widely used as a food flavoring agent, especially in the production of vinegar. In the process of converting ethanol to acetic acid, the resulting acetic acid is ultimately used for food flavoring and preservation.

4.2 chemical industry

Acetic acid is the basic raw material of many chemicals, such as vinyl acetate, cellulose acetate and so on. In the chemical industry, the demand for acetic acid is very large, so the technology of converting ethanol into acetic acid is particularly important.

4.3 medicine field

Acetic acid is also widely used in the field of medicine, especially in the production of disinfectants. After ethanol is converted to acetic acid, some important pharmaceutical intermediates can be further synthesized.

5. Summary

The process of how to produce acetic acid from ethanol involves an oxidation reaction and can be carried out by a catalytic oxidation method or a fermentation method. In industrial production, catalytic oxidation is widely used because of its high efficiency and strong controllability. Understanding the reaction principle and reaction conditions of ethanol conversion to acetic acid is essential to improve the production efficiency and the purity of acetic acid. The application of acetic acid in food, chemical and pharmaceutical fields also makes this process occupy an important position in modern industry.

Through the above analysis, we can clearly understand the specific process of converting ethanol into acetic acid, and master the key technology of its industrial production.