Borjes
Borjes
Vapor-liquid equilibrium data are pre- systems which comprise the quaternary system n-butanol-
sented for the three binary systems acetone-ethanol-water, all of the equilibrium data have been
published in the literature except those for mixtures of
ethanol-n-butanol, acetone-water, and iso- ethanol and n-butanol. While it might be expected that
propanol-water. Activity coefficients for mixtures of the two monohydric alcohols would closely follow
the acetone-water and isopropanol-water the ideal solution laws, it was considered desirable actually
systems are also given. These data, to- to determine the experimental data for comparison with
gether with observations on the operation theoretically calculated values.
I n the production of high-purity acetone from aqueous
of commercial distillation equipment, show mixtures by distillation, it has been found that fractionating
that the original published values for these column performance is at variance with that predicted from
two aqueous systems were not sufficiently existing vapor-liquid equilibrium data. This was also noted
accurate for engineering purposes. by Luaces ( I $ ) , who cited large discrepancies in equipment
sizes for acetone-water distillation units by various designers,
although he was not able to ascribe these differences to their
true source. Hence the original data of Bergstrom (6)were
120- , 1 I I I 1
0 20 40 60 80 too 0 20 40 60 80 100
FIGURE1. REFRACTIVE
INDEXOF MIXTURESOF ETHANOL FIQURE2. TEMPERATURE-COMPOSITION
DIAQRAM
FOR SYS-
AND %-BUTANOL AT 25" c. TEM ETHANOL-+BUTANOL
AT 1 ATMOSPHERE
255
256 INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Vol. 35, No. 2
Experimental Procedure
The well established method of Othmer (14,
16) was used for the determination of the
equilibrium data in each of the systems
studied. The original apparatus was modi-
fied to permit the use of external gas heating,
and an auxiliary vent condenser was perma-
nently sealed onto the vent. When'running
the ethanol-butanol system, a large drying
tube filled with soda lime and anhydrous
calcium chloride was attached to the vent
line beyond the condenser. When running
the acetone-water system, an additional long
jacketed condenser was attached directly to
the end of the small vent condenser on the still.
Refractive indices were determined on a
Bausch & Lomb Abbe-type refractometer
equipped with a microvernier and held a t
constant temperature by circulating water
from the thermostat. Sodium flame illumi-
nation was provided by a shielded Bunsen
burner and a mixture of sodium carbonate
and borax. A metal shield covered the top
and three sides of the instrument, and ex-
cluded stray white light from the room.
Specific gravities were determined b y 25-
ml. pycnometers equipped with thermometers
and caps having no vent holes a t the extremi-
FIGURE5. VAPOR-LIQUID
EQUILIBRIA
FOR SYSTEMACETONE-WATER
AT
ties. They were immersed in the constant-
1 ATMOSPHERE temperature bath for a sufficient time before
each weighing to come to equilibrium tem-
perature.
of quicklime, according to Fisher (9). The alcohol was The System Ethanol-n-Butanol
distilled off from the lime into a previously dried receiver and A series of mixtures of the two alcohols were weighed out
was found to contain 0.37 per cent water by weight. Severe on the basis of an approximately 10-gram total sample and
humidity conditions prevailing a t the time prevented further
dehydration. This alcohol was considered satisfactory for
the purpose of this experiment and was stored in bottles
equipped with tin-foil covered stoppers. The density and
refractive index of the alcohol are tabulated below:
dBE 0.78863
di6 0.78623
ny 1.3589
16 72.1 161.8 18.00 6.38 87.30 68.09 6.362 1.014 weighed on a Chainomatic balance. The
17
18
85.2
92.0
185.3.
197.6
6.80
3.60
2.21
1.15
72.40
55.50
44.88
27.91
8.253
8.216
0.981
0,978
weights were left on the balance, and the
pycnometers again returned to the bath and
refilled with sample. The second weighings
were accomplished rapidly by merely adjust-
the refractive indices of the mixtures were determined at ing the chain. All determinations in the high acetone
25" C. When a sufficient number of mixtures had been made region were checked three times in this manner to make
to define the refractive index-composition curve, the points sure that there n-as no loss of weight due to evaporation.
were plotted and a smooth curve drawn through the data. At lower .concentrations of acetone, two weighings were
Figure 1 is a plot of the following data: found sufficient for a check. A second series of runs on the
high acetone concentrations were made to ensure a sufficient
Weight % number of points to define clearly the equilibrium curve in
Ethanol%
Weight ny Weight
Ethanol70 ' a
;. Ethal,ol
nY the region where previous data have been questionable.
0.00 1.3970 23.19 1.3875 62.45 1.3731 The data for the system are reported in Table 11. The
5.96
9.60
10.14
1.3930
1.3940
1.3929
35.06
29.57
43.06
1.3830
1.3853
1.3800
!!:!:
88.78
::;::$
1.3626
boiling point-composition curves are plotted in Figure 4
together with the data of Carveth (6),Pettit ( I ? ) , and the
15.51 1.3909 51.91 1,3770 100.00 1.3689
recent data of York and Holmes ($3) for comparison. Figure
5 is a plot of the equilibrium data showing a comparison with
Four hundred milliliters of a mixture of ethanol and buta- the data of Bergstrom ( 2 ) and those of York and Holmes.
no1 were introduced into the equilibrium still; the rate of Figure 6 is an enlarged section of the upper portion of the
boiling was regulated so that the contents of the receiver equilibrium diagram, the dotted line showing the previously
would change in 3 t o 4 minutes, and the runs were carried on accepted curve of Rergstrom and the solid line, the data of
from 45 to 60 minutes before samples were taken. Samples this paper. This difference in the position of the curve
of high ethanol concentration reached equilibrium, judged by accounts for the discrepancy between the older data and
constancy of vapor temperature, more quickly
than samples of high butanol concentration.
Samples of liquid and condensed vapor mere
withdrawn simultaneously in small bottles. The TABLE 111. VAPOR-LIQEID EQUILIBRIUM DATAFOR THE SYSTEM
ISOPHOPASOL-TYATER
bottle on the liquid side was immersed in a Cor. Temp. a t Isopropanol Isopropanol Activity
beaker of crushed ice. R~~ 760 Mm. Hg in Liquid in Vapor Coefficient
The data obtained from the equilibrium runs Xo. C. O E'. Wt. 9% Mole % Wt. Mole % Alcohol Water
are plotted in Figure 2 and listed in Table I. 1
2
81.21
81.01
178.2
177.8
97.85
97.29
93.19
91.53
96.82
96.07
90.11
88.01
1.012
1.014
2.963
2.912
The x-y values are shown in Figure 3 together 3 80.75 177.4 96.33 88.72 94.97 85.00 1.022 2.741
4 80.51 176.9 95.05 85.20 93.54 81.26 1.027 2.657
with the values computed from Raoult's ideal 5 80.30 176.5 93.42 81.00 91.77 76.98 1.032 2.564
law. These theoretical values for vapor-liquid 6 80.14 176.3 91.77 77.02 90.47 74.01 1.050 2.409
equilibrium at 760 mm. of mercury follow: 7
8
80.07
80.05
176.1
176.1
90.15
88.48
73.33
69.71
89.28
88.27
71.42
69.31
1.067
1.123
2.289
2.166
9 80.03 176.0 88.15 69.05 88.02 68.79 1.093 2.157
27 80.04 176.0 87.90 68.57 87.74 68.24 1.091 2.163
Mole % Ethanol 80.08 176.1 87.82 68.38 87.86 68.46 1.098 2.132
10
Liquid Vapor Liquid Vapor 28 80.16 176.3 87.70 68.13 87.70 68.13 1.093 2.134
94.7 98.8 25.2 59.6 11 80.04 176.1 86.08 $4.96 86.91 66.69 1.122 2.041
71.2 92.2 15.1 43.0 12 80.14 176.3 82.39 08.38 85.34 63.58 1.190 1.864
62.8 83.9 6.7 22.7 13 80.44 176.7 73.95 48.97 82.98 69.39 1.395 1.582
37.9 73.3 2.84 10.5 14 80.77 177.4 82.30 33.14 81.27 56.54 1.820 1.350
15 Determination lost
26 81.11 178.0 51.15 23.87 80.67 55.59 2.448 1.195
25 81.19 178.2 45.24 19.86 79.93 54.44 2.873 1,160
The System Acetone-Water 24 81.39 178.4 39.36 16.29 78.99 52.98 3.380 1.137
22 81.41 178.5 31.90 12.32 79.50 53.78 4.531 1.067
A curve of specific gravities was computed 21 82.63 180.9 23.50 8.43 77.10 50.24 5.873 1.049
and drawn on a large-scale plot according to :! 8";: 1g:E7 :$1: i$:fE $3":; 8.926 1.033
1,018
the equation of Squibb (19) for analytical pur- 19 90.80 195.4 6.50 2.04 57.96 23.08 8.000 1.102
23 93.19 199.7 4.38 1.36 49.00 22.44 10.54 1.008
poses. The technique o f making the equilib- 17 95.30 203, 5 2.72 0.83 36.55 14.73 10.54 1.02"
rium runs and handling the samples was 16 98.87 210.0 0.52 0.16 11.16 3.64 11.68 1.007
modified from the standard procedure because
February, 1943 IN D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G4-C H E M I S T R Y 259
Boiling
Point, Wt. % Mole %
Author O C. Alcohol Alcohol
Lecat (if) 80.37 87.85 68.54
Young (94) 80.4 87.90 68.56
Lebo (10) 80.4 87.7 68.13
Miller and Bliss (13) 80.1 87.9 68.60
Schumaoher and H u n t (18) 80.3 87.4 67.8
Authors 80.16 87.7 68.13
Activity Coefficients
The activity coefficients, y, were com-
puted from the equation
7. TEMPERATURE-COMPOSITION
FIGURE DIAQRAMFOR SYSTEM
ISOPROPANOL-
WATERAT 1 ATMOSPHERE y = PyIPox
The S y s t e m Isopropanol-Water
Equilibrium runs for this system were 8C
made in the same manner as for the
ethanol-butanol system, starting with
alcohol-rich mixtures. Gravities of the
vapor and liquid samples were measured
in pycnometers a t 20/15O C . , and the per-
centage composition interpolated from the 6C
isopropyl alcohol-water gravity tables pub-
lished by the Standard Alcohol Com-
pany (20). Small pieces of copper wire
were introduced into the still during the
runs t o destroy any peroxides that might 40
be formed from the presence of minute
amounts of isopropyl ether. No tarnish-
ing effects on the wires were noted during
the entire series of runs. The data are
tabulated in Table 111.
20
* MILLER
SCHUMACHER
4 BLISS
t
Still residues were fractionated through
a 100-plate Bragg column (3) at nearly
total reflux. The distillate was collected I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I 1 I
a t a constant temperature of 80.3" C.
under 760 mm. absolute pressure. This I MOL
1
% 150PROPANOL IN LIQUID
I I I 1 1 I
1
fraction was again run through the column C 20 40 60 80 It 0
at nearly total reflux, and the distillate
collected until a sufficient sample was 8. VAPOR-LIQUID
FIGURE EQUILIBRIA
FOR SYSTEM
ISOPROPANOL-WATER
AT
obtained to make a run in the equilib- 1 ATMOSPHERE
260 INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Vol. 35, No. 2