Acetone dibutanol can be used as an organic synthesis intermediate and a pharmaceutical synthesis intermediate, mainly used in laboratory research and development and chemical and pharmaceutical synthesis processes.
N-butanol, i.e., 575 liters or about 465.7 kg (6294 moles) was added to a reactor equipped with a stirring system, a reflux tower and a temperature control system including a water cooling coil system. Then 115 liters, i.e., about 91 kg (1573 moles) of acetone from the acetone collected in Example 1, and 3 kg of Amberlyst 15 sulfonic acid resin, i.e., about 14 molar equivalents of the acid functional group, were introduced. The medium was kept stirred for 1 hour while the temperature was controlled to remain at ambient temperature, and then the medium was allowed to reflux for 6 hours. After returning to ambient temperature, the reactor was allowed to empty by gravity through the filter so as to leave the solid catalyst in the reactor. The resulting mixture was then sent to a distillation column where the residual acetone, excess n-butanol and condensate were separated to give 271 kg of acetone condensed dibutanol as a liquid.
