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Isopropyl Alcohol from Propene and Water
Isopropyl alcohol is made mainly by adding water to propene (propylene). In direct hydration, more common in Europe, propene of over 90 % purity and water react at high pressure over a solid acid catalyst. (The indirect route, common in the USA, goes through sulphate esters made with sulphuric acid, and a third route hydrogenates acetone.) The alcohol is then separated by distillation, but isopropyl alcohol and water form an azeotrope: plain distillation stops at 87.9 % alcohol and 12.1 % water. Dry alcohol is made by azeotropic distillation with an entrainer such as cyclohexane.
Advanced
Continuous (industrial)
Instructions
1
1
Hydrate
Hydrate
Feed propene (over 90 % pure) and water into the reactor at high pressure over the solid acid catalyst.
Materials for this step:
Propene (Propylene Gas)1 as required
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
High-Pressure Hydration Reactor
Solid Acid Catalyst2
2
Distil
Distil
Distil the product to separate the alcohol from water and by-products; it comes over as the azeotrope, 87.9 % isopropyl alcohol.
Tools needed:
Distillation Column Assembly3
3
Dry
Dry
Distil again with cyclohexane as the entrainer to carry the remaining water off and leave dry isopropyl alcohol.
Materials for this step:
Cyclohexane1 as requiredTools needed:
Distillation Column AssemblyMaterials
3- 1 as requiredPlaceholder
- 1 as requiredPlaceholder
- 1 as requiredPlaceholder
Tools Required
3- Placeholder
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