Esterification

From simple esters to specialty high molecular weight polyesters, Pressure Chemical Company has the expertise and equipment in place to produce your innovative product.

Pressure Chemical has decades of experience in esterification processes and is ready for your toughest esterification process challenge. There are a number of approaches to the preparation of esters. The most suitable path depends on many factors (economic constraints, thermal stability of the raw materials and product, and desired product specifications). We can help you choose the most efficient process methodology and our skilled technical staff can successfully produce your product.

Some synthetic approaches to esters:

• Reaction of acid chlorides with alcohols in the presence of base Advantages include: mild conditions, solution chemistry, and clean reactions with few byproducts. Some acid chloride raw materials can be expensive, so this approach works well for high value esters where purity is a critical concern. If the acid chloride is not available we can make it for you.

• Reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohol with catalyst Usually requires high temperature, high vacuum, and catalyst, and the reaction can often be performed with little or no solvent. This is a relatively low cost approach, but requires thermally stable reagents and products. We have extensive experience with these syntheses and have produced many esters for use in a wide range of industries including personal care products.

• Synthesis of polyesters via diacids Dicarboxylic acids react with diols, forming polyesters with the elimination of water. We have multiple reactors capable of the high temperature and vacuum necessary to run these special reactions. We can help you develop appropriate conditions for your product or process and scale it up to provide commercial quantities.