Facile and Rapid Synthesis of Neopentyl Glycol in a Continuous-Flow Microreactor

Neopentyl glycol (NPG) synthesis by condensation disproportionation of formaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde (IBD) with sodium hydroxide as catalyst was studied in a continuous-flow microreactor under various experimental conditions, such as reaction temperature, residence time, and the molar ratio of reactants. All the conditions were determined by Box-Behnken experimental design and the response surface method based on the preferred range selected by single-factor experiments. For comparison, NPG was synthesized by condensation disproportionation of the same reactants in a batch reactor. The results showed that higher NPG yield and shorter residence time were achieved in a continuous-flow microreactor than in a batch reactor when the other experimental conditions were similar.