Triptane synthesis from methanol and dimethyl ether: A review

Abstract

The review summarizes and analyzes the results of research in the field of triptane synthesis from methanol and dimethyl ether (DME). The reaction with a fairly high triptane yield occurs in the presence of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. It has been shown that InI₃ and ZnI₂ are the most commonly used catalysts for the homogeneous process, while zeolite systems based on H-BEA and H-Y are promising catalysts for the heterogeneous process. The effect of the catalyst nature (acidity and structure) on the type of resulting intermediates and the reaction mechanism has been described. Currently available approaches to describing the kinetics of the complex triptane synthesis reaction and the engineering aspects of the process have been discussed.