HCl vs. H2SO4 as a catalyst?

Question

In doing an equilibrium reaction, (e.g. acetic acid + isopentyl alcohol <-----> isopentyl acetate + H20) why would you use H2SO4 (which has a higher pKa) instead of HCl (lower pKa) as the acid catalyst?

Answer 1

Concentrated H2SO4 is a dehydrating agent, and helps drive the equilibrium to the right by removing water. HCl works perfectly well, but H2SO4 has that slight advantage.