LAUSR

Abstract One-step aldol condensation of methyl acetate with formaldehyde (or trioxane) for preparing methyl acrylate at 623 K–653 K has stimulated researchers’ attention in recent years. Herein, a new methodology for one-step synthesis of methyl acrylate from methyl acetate and trioxane promoted by generated trifluoromethanesulfonate ionic liquid, via aldol condensation, at mild temperature was developed. The kinetic and thermodynamic studies on this new process were also firstly investigated systematically. Experiments were conducted in a batch reactor under the temperatures of 283 K–298 K and reaction times of 10 min–100 min, wherein the side reactions could be ignored. The proposed mechanism-based kinetic model was established and simulated with experimental data. The model showed good agreement with experimental results within the range of acceptable deviation, thereby the pre-exponential factor and activation energy of each reaction step were obtained. Moreover, the equilibrium constant and enthalpy change of each reversible reaction were also calculated through Van’t Hoff formula.