| abstract |
Diisopropyl ether is prepared from isopropanol in liquid phase in contact with particular Montmorillonite clay catalysts, optionally in the presence of added propylene. The process is operated in a continuous manner by continuously feeding liquid isopropanol, optionally with added propylene, into a reaction space where the feed contacts the catalyst at 120 DEG to 250 DEG C for an average contact time of 1 to 120 minutes. Pressure is maintained in the reactor to keep a liquid phase in contact with the solid catalyst. Effluent withdrawn continuously from the reaction space at the feed rate is separated by fractionation to recover diisopropyl ether. |