STUDIES OF POLYSTYRENE-BASED ION-EXCHANGE FIBER .2. A NOVEL FIBER-FORM CATALYST FOR SUCROSE INVERSION AND METHYL ACETATE HYDROLYSIS

To obtain a novel acid-base catalyst of high activity and easy treatment, the authors have prepared polystyrene-based fibrous ion exchange catalysts which have large surface areas per unit of weight and which can be utilized in various forms. They are excellent in chemical stability and mechanical strength due to their composite structures, reinforced with polypropyrene. The reactions of sucrose inversion and methyl acetate hydrolysis were carried out by using these cation exchange fibers and ordinary cation exchange resins. The fiber has about sixteen times as high a catalytic activity per equivalent acid as the resin in the case of sucrose inversion.