Measurement and correlation of the solubility of maleic acid in acetone–ethyl acetate mixtures

In this paper, the solubilities of maleic acid in different compositions of acetone–ethyl acetate mixtures were measured at the temperature range from 285.15 K to 324.25 K under atmospheric pressure by the gravimetric method. These data were correlated with Apelblat equation and Buchowski–Ksiazczak λh equation. Both equations provided an accurate mathematical representation of the experimental results. The root-mean-square deviations (rmsds) of the Apelblat equation were lower than those of λh equation, which indicated that the Apelblat equation could regress the solubility data much better than the λh equation for this system. This study provided valuable data not only for optimizing the process of purification of maleic acid in industry but also for further theoretical studies.

► Solubility data are measured at temperatures from 285.15 K to 324.25 K.
► The solubility is a function of temperature.
► The solubility increases with increasing temperature.
► Apelblat equation and λh equation are used to correlate solubility data.
► Apelblat equation can regress solubility data better than λh equation.