Eastman Chemical Company

David Chris Spencer

Neil Warren Boaz

John C Hubbs

John Thorton Maddox

David Carl Attride

William D Nottingham

John Michael Allen

Jarvey Eugene Felty, Jr

Timothy Lee Guinn

James Charles Ciula

Thomas Nabih

Methods of making esterified lignocellulosic materials and resulting compositions and articles are disclosed.

Esterified lignocellulosic materials and methods for making them

Disclosed is a 4-step process for the preparation of alkyl esters of 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid which comprises the steps of (1) converting &ggr;-butyrolactone to &agr;-methyl-&ggr;-butyrolactone; (2) converting the &agr;-methyl-&ggr;-butyrolactone from step (1) to an alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate; (3) producing a xylene solution of the alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate; and (4) contacting the xylene solution of an alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate from step (3) with an alkali metal alkoxide under conditions of temperature and pressure which causes vaporization of (i) an alkanol as it is formed and (ii) an alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate as it is formed from the alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate. Also disclosed are processes whereby the alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate, prepared as described above, is converted to 1-methylcyclopropylamine.

Process for the preparation of alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate

Growing community of inventors

Kingport, TN, United States of America

David Chris Spencer