TAME synthesis via reactive distillation

Tert-Amyl Methyl Ether (TAME) is etherified from a cracked C5 cut's reactive isoamylenes (2-methyl-1-butene / 2-methyl-2-butene) and methanol over the reactive stages of a column, pulling unreacted light C5s overhead while methanol-free TAME leaves the bottoms — reaction and separation in one shell, the same reactive-distillation pattern as the DME etherification example. The distillate draws 53% of the feed: etherification turns two molecules into one, so at 90% conversion the column has 6.21 mol/s to send out, of which the light C5s and unreacted methanol are 4.32. Luyben, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2005, 44, 5715.