First of all, the first question: divide the reaction units, benzyl cinnamate = benzyl alcohol+cinnamic acid, and cinnamic acid = benzaldehyde+acetic anhydride or ethyl acetate. This leads to the design of reaction route:
A) Benzaldehyde is hydrogenated to obtain benzyl alcohol. Benzaldehyde and ethyl acetate were condensed to obtain ethyl cinnamate, and ethyl cinnamate reacted with benzyl alcohol under alkaline conditions to obtain the target product.
B) preparing benzyl alcohol by the same method. Benzaldehyde and acetic anhydride were used to obtain cinnamic acid acetic anhydride, which was then hydrolyzed to obtain cinnamic acid, which was converted into acyl chloride and then reacted with benzyl alcohol.
C) I remember that acetyl chloride can be directly condensed with aromatic aldehydes, so it should be that excess acetyl chloride+benzaldehyde is catalyzed by trace pyridine to obtain cinnamoyl chloride, which is then condensed with benzyl alcohol.
I remember that in the past, the experiment manual was B's route. The hydrogenation of benzaldehyde is catalyzed by nickel or platinum. The Perkins reaction catalyst used in condensation to obtain cinnamic acid mixed anhydride is sodium/potassium acetate, and it seems that potassium carbonate can also be used.
I'm not sure which route you want to use, so it's difficult to answer below. Another, this should be the landlord's homework problem, and it should not be thrown out by yourself and let others answer it.
As for the device diagram, I won't draw it. I will definitely use a round bottom flask, a condenser tube and a reflux tube. The condensation reaction takes a long time to reflux.
If the separation method is used, the final ester must be washed by weak acid, weak alkali, brine, water and then dried and distilled. Pass through the chromatographic column if possible. The separation of intermediate products depends on how you choose the route and what the intermediate product is.