Comparative Evaluation of Thermophysical and Acoustical Properties of Binary Mixtures of Cumene + Methyl Acetate and Cumene + Ethyl Acetate over the Range of Molar Compositions and Temperatures from 298.15 to 318.15 K: Experimental Measurements and Application of Deviation Modeling

The viscosity (η), activation energy (E_a), density (ρ), ultrasonic velocity (U), and refractive index (n^D) were determined for binary liquid mixtures of cumene (CM, an alkylbenzene) with ethyl acetate (EA) or methyl acetate (MA) over different mole fractions of CM (0.08–0.87) in a wide temperature range (298.15–313.15 K). The increasing trend in η with the mole fraction of CM was correlated with the strengthening of the molecular interactions between the constituent components. Various theoretical models were utilized to predict the deviation in the properties of the binary mixtures over the compositions. Typically, the Kandoll and Monroe models predicted lower values for η, while models like Gruenberg and Nissan suggested higher values for the CM + MA binary mixture. Likewise, the usefulness of the models in predicting other properties is detailed. The average percentage of deviation (APD) was used to predict the most suitable model for η, U, and n^D. The various acoustical properties and excess parameters were calculated and interpreted in terms of charge transfer, dipole–dipole, and dipole-induced dipole interactions. The results suggested that the presence of both aryl and aliphatic moieties in CM contributed to the intermolecular interactions with nearly nonpolar (EA/MA) molecules.