Partial amination of cationic exchange resins and its application in the hydration of butene

In this work, the amination of sulfonated polystyrene resin with alkyl secondary amine is investigated. The catalytic activities of the modified resins are determined through the hydration of 1-butene. The optimum chain length and the best range of amination rate are determined. It is found that the single-pass conversion of 1-butene was raised 2% on average, and the relative activity was increased over 30% after modification. A hypothesis about the enhancement of catalytic activities by the inclusion of alkyl chain to wrap up the butene molecule is proposed.