Equipment
The reactions were carried out in a laboratory-scale setup. A 250 mL 3-necked flat-bottom flask was used as a reactor.
Two of the 3 necks were equipped with a condenser and thermometer whereas the other was used as an inlet for the reactants.
The reaction mixture was heated and well-stirred at 600 rpm(Vicente et al ., 2005) by a hot plate with a magnetic stirrer (Fisher scientific Model 11-302-50 SHP).