Ethyl acetate is a solvent widely used in the chemical industry including paints, coatings,
ink production, adhesives, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. The most common strategy of
producing ethyl acetate consists in a simple esterification of ethanol with acetic acid in the
presence of acidic catalyst. This reaction is usually catalysed by environmentally
hazardous liquid acids such as H2SO4, H3PO4 and HC1. Literature reveals that for
synthesis of esters ion exchange resins can be used as catalyst. Studies are lacking for the
determination of the potential to use less costly, ion exchange resins that are available in
the local market as a catalyst in synthesis of ethyl acetate.
