EXPLORATORY STUDY FOR THE PREPARATION OF BENZYL BROMIDE FROM BENZYL CHLORIDE BY TWO- AND THREE-PHASE PHASE TRANSFER CATALYSIS.

This work is a feasibility study for the immobilized quaternary ammonium bromide as the catalyst for the production of benzyl bromide from benzyl chloride and sodium bromide. The kinetics of liquid-liquid reaction with tetrabutyl ammonium bromide as a catalyst was experimentally studied. The kinetics of the same reaction with a triphase catalyst, which was prepared by quaternizing tributylamine with chloromethyl polystyrene, was investigated subsequently. The results reveal that the activity of this triphase catalyst is higher than that of the free catalyst under the condition of the same milliequivalent of quaternary ammonium ions. This triphase catalyst also has a good stability.