Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.11, No.3, 355-357, 2003
Kinetic model of resin-catalyzed decomposition of acetone cyanohydrin in organic solvent
Decomposition of acetone cyanohydrin is the first-step reaction for preparing (S)-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol (CPBA) by the one-pot method in organic media. Considering the compatibility of biocatalysts with chemical catalysts and the successive operation in the bioreactor, anion exchange resin (D301) was used as catalyst for this reaction. External diffusion limitation was excluded by raising rotational speed to higher than 190r.min(-1) in both solvents. Internal diffusion limitation was verified to be insignificant in this reaction system. The effect of acetone cyanohydrin concentration on the reaction was also investigated. An intrinsic kinetic model was proposed when the mass transfer limitation was excluded, and the average deviation of the model is 10.5%.