Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation

Cps Chemical Company, Inc.

Louis E Trapasso

Timothy M Miller

Philip L Meisel

Aaron Van De Sande

Narayanan Pondicherry

Purnendu Mukhopadhyay

Paul L Hung

Peter F Epstein

Stanley J Padegimas

Willy K Chwang

Lee B Meisel

The present invention relates to a process to prepare alkyl (meth)acrylate esters from corresponding alkyl/methacrylate esters using an alkali metal alkoxide as an ester interchange catalyst to produce an alkyl (meth)acrylate ester monomer product C

Acrylate monomer preparation using alkali metal alkoxides as ester interchange catalysts and bromide salt polymerization inhibitors

The present invention relates to a process to prepare alkyl (meth)acrylate esters from corresponding alkyl/methacrylate esters using an alkali metal alkoxide as an ester interchange catalyst to produce an alkyl (meth)acrylate ester monomer product C ##STR1## The present invention further relates to the use of bromide and iodide salts as free radical polymerization inhibitors. The present invention further relates to the use of a noninterfering alcohol or polyol that prevents anionic polymerization reactions of reactant ester B and/or alkyl (meth)acrylate product C. The present invention further relates to a process for inhibiting polymerization of (meth)acrylates being synthesized in a transesterification or ester-ester interchange reaction system.

Acrylate monomer preparation using alkali metal alkoxides as ester

Methyl or ethyl esters of mono- and polycarboxylic acids are transesterified with alcohols and polyols by reaction in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of organotin catalyst, so that an alcohol or polyol carboxylic acid ester is formed, which is then washed with aqueous alkali having a pH bigger than about 13.2 so as to remove essentially all of the organotin catalyst, thereby permitting the recovery of the alcohol or polyol carboxylic acid ester essentially free of the organotin catalyst.

Organotin catalyzed transesterification

Esters of monocarboxylic acids are transesterified with 1,2- and 1,3-polyols by reaction in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a dialkyltin oxide blended with an excess of dialkyltin dichloride, so that a polyol ester of the monocarboxylic acid is formed. A transesterification reaction of alcohols and polyols with methyl or ethyl mono- or polycarboxylic acid esters utilizing a dimethyltin catalyst is also disclosed, in which the alcohol or polyol carboxylic acid ester formed is essentially free of the organotin catalyst. Carboxylic acid esters produced by the described methods, as well as carboxylic acid esters that are free of organotin catalysts are also disclosed.

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West Long Branch, NJ, United States of America

Louis E Trapasso