Kinetics of addition of acetic acid to epichlorohydrin in the presence of alkali metal acetates

The kinetics of the reaction between acetic acid and epichlorohydrin in the presence of lithium, sodium and potassium acetates have been studied. The composition of the reaction mixture was followed chromatographically. Beside the two isomeric products of addition of epichlorohydrin to acetic acid, the presence was found of glycidyl acetate, glycerine dichlorohydrin and other products of parallel and subsequent reactions between the substrates and chlorohydroxyesters. A mechanism of the reaction, which takes into account the formation of the identified compounds has been proposed and a set of appropriate differential and balance equations developed. The rate constants for individual reactions as well as the catalysts used have been determined.