Reaction performance and disappearance kinetics of n-pentane isomerization catalyzed by chloroaluminate ionic liquid

The ionic liquid Et3NHCl-2AlCl3 effectively catalyzes the isomerization of n-pentane. With increasing n-pentane conversion, the research octane number of isomerization oil increased, but its yield, the selectivity of isopentane, and the research octane number of the isomerization product decreased. At the same n-pentane conversion, low reaction temperatures inhibit side reactions and favor the product distribution. The disappearance kinetics of n-pentane isomerization, following the first-order reaction, was investigated. The apparent activation energy and the pre-exponential factor were 29.4 kJ/mol and 9.28 s−1, respectively.

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► The ionic liquid 2AlCl3/Et3NHCl can catalyze n-pentane isomerization.
► As n-pentane conversion increases, isopentane selectivity decreases.
► Low reaction temperatures favor the isomerization of n-pentane.
► Activation energy was 29.4 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor was 9.28 s−1.