Miscellaneous Applications:

The mosaic of applications of ion exchange will be incomplete if we do not mention the applications from other areas of science. Here too, it is difficult to enumerate even some of them because they are too many to list. Thus, only a few of them are being mentioned here. Ion exchange resins are polymeric materials that may be considered insoluble acids and bases. They can be used to promote reactions which can be catalysed by conventional acids and bases. Some advantages of solid substantially insoluble ion exchange catalysts are as follows:

i) ease of separation by filtration or decantation,

ii) Reduction of cost because the catalyst can be used repeatedly usually without regeneration,

iii) Increased product yield and efficiency, and

iv) Elimination of corrosion problem.

The major disadvantage of using ion exchange resins as catalyst appears to be thermal and chemical stability limitations. In some cases, this particular problem is resolved by use of inorganic ion exchangers. Some of the examples of ion exchange catalyzed reactions are acetal formation, alcohol dehydration, aldol condensation, esterification and ester hydrolysis.