How To Make Butyl Acetate
The method of making butyl acetate
If you want to make butyl acetate, you should know the reason first. Butyl acetate is formed by esterification of acetic acid and butanol. This reaction requires a catalyst to promote it, and sulfuric acid is often used.

The method of making is as follows: Prepare a round-bottom flask, measure an appropriate amount of acetic acid and butanol, and pour it into the bottle in a certain proportion. Then take a little sulfuric acid, add it slowly, and stir it when added to prevent local overheating. For sulfuric acid, in this reaction, it is not only a catalyst, but also can absorb water, promoting the reaction to form butyl acetate.

On the flask, a reflux condenser is connected to prevent the reactants from escaping. Heat in a water bath or an oil bath to slowly boil the contents of the bottle and maintain it for a certain period of time to make the reaction sufficient. When heating, the temperature should be controlled to avoid overheating and causing side reactions.

After the reaction is completed, pour the contents of the flask into the separation funnel. Wash it with a saturated sodium carbonate solution to remove unreacted acetic acid and sulfuric acid. Then wash it with a sodium chloride solution to remove residual sodium carbonate. Then dry it with anhydrous magnesium sulfate to remove the water.

Finally, by distillation, pure butyl acetate is obtained. During distillation, the intermediate fraction is collected, which is the required butyl acetate.

To make butyl acetate, be sure to operate carefully and abide by the rules of chemical experiments to obtain good results.