Production
Ethyl sulfate can be produced in a laboratory setting by reacting ethanol with sulfuric acid under a gentle boil, while keeping the reaction below 140 °C. The sulfuric acid must be added dropwise or the reaction must be actively cooled because the reaction itself is exothermic, which would cause its temperature to increase.
- CH3CH2OH + H2SO4 → CH3-CH2-O-SO3H + H2O
If the temperature exceeds 140 °C, the ethyl sulfate product tends to react with the unreacted ethanol starting material, producing diethyl ether. If the temperature exceeds 170 °C in a considerable excess of sulfuric acid, the ethyl sulfate breaks down into ethylene and sulfuric acid.
Read more about this topic: Ethyl Sulfate
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