Tetraethylammonium Hydroxide CAS 77-98-5

The principle of electrolytic preparation of tetraethylammonium hydroxide is that under the action of electric field force in the tetraethylammonium chloride aqueous solution in the anode chamber of the electrolytic cell, the chloride ions in the solution migrate to the anode direction until it is discharged on the anode to precipitate chlorine gas. At the same time, due to the selective permeability of the ion membrane, chloride ions cannot diffuse through the ion exchange membrane, and only tetraethylammonium ions can selectively permeate and enter the cathode chamber, where they are enriched. The water molecules in the cathode compartment of the electrolyzer are decomposed into hydrogen and hydroxide ions at the cathode. The latter happens to combine with the tetraethylammonium ions migrated from the anode compartment to form tetraethylammonium hydroxide. The concentration of tetraethylammonium hydroxide increased continuously with the increase of the energization amount, and finally reached the expected crude product concentration.

The anode electrochemical reaction is: (C2H5)4NCl→(C2H5)4N++Clˉ
2Clˉ—2e→Cl2↑

The cathode electrochemical reaction is: H2O→H++OHˉ
(C2H5)4++OHˉ→(C2H5)4OH
2H++2e→H2↑

The overall reaction is: 2(C2H5)4NCl+2H2O→2(C2H5)4OH+H2↑+Cl2↑

The hydrogen generated in the electrolysis method is vented, and the generated chlorine gas is absorbed by lye to generate sodium hypochlorite, which is the main raw material of bleaching powder. Therefore, the method for preparing tetraethylammonium hydroxide has the advantages of simple method, high purity and no environmental pollution.