Abstract: Treatment of polyphenyl in concentrated H₂SO₄ at 170 ^oC resulted in its sulfonation and carbonization, leading to the formation of acidic resin-carbon composite material with the surface area of about 14 m²/g and strong acid sites of about 1.2 mmol/g related to –SO₃H groups. The microcalorimetric adsorption of ammonia showed the high initial adsorption heat, indicating that the formation of pyrosulfuric groups from the sulfonic groups on the surface was unlikely. In addition, it was found that some of the sulfonic groups on such composite material were highly stable since they began to decompose only at a temperature higher than 400 ^oC. Such acidic composite material was also found to be highly active for the etherification of isopentene with methanol to produce tert-amyl methyl ether. In fact, it was more active for the etherification than the acidic carbon prepared from the sulfonation and carbonization of glucose.

Key words: acidic resin-carbon composite, polyphenyl, sulfonation, carbonization, etherification, tert-amyl methyl ehter