Method of producing Acrylic and Methacrylic Esters

1,174,148. Acrylic and methacrylic esters. NAUCHNO ISSLEDOVATELSKY INSTITUT MONOMEROV DLYA SINTETICHESKOGO KAUCHUKA. 11 Aug., 1967, No. 37070/67. Heading C2C. Acrylic and methacrylic esters of monohydric and poly-hydric alcohols and aminoalcohols are prepared by heating a C 1-2 alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid with a C 4-16 mono-hydric or poly-hydric alcohol or aminoalcohol in the presence of an alkaline earth metal or an alcoholate thereof as catalyst. The preferred catalysts are Mg, Mg(OCH 3 ) 2 , Mg(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 , Mg(OC 3 H 7 ) 2 , Ca and Ca(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 . In examples, methyl methacrylate is heated with (1) n-butyl alcohol, (2) 2-dimethylaminoethanol and (3) diethylene glycol using Mg(OCH 3 ) 2 as catalyst to yield n-butyl methacrylate, 2 - dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and diethylene glycol dimethacrylate respectively, and many other esters are tabulated.