A Process for the Production of Sebacic Acid

1,179,673. Sebacic acid. VSESOJUZNY NAUCHNO-ISSLEDOVATELSKY I PROEKTNY INSTITUT MONOMEROV. 23 Feb., 1968, No. 8827/68. Heading C2C. [Also in Division C7] A process for the production of sebacic acid comprises producing dimethyl sebacate by the electrolytic condensation of monomethyl adipate in methanol medium in the presence of an alkali metal monomethyl adipate, e.g. sodium monomethyl adipate, stripping off methanol from the mixture of electrolytic condensation products thus obtained, allowing the mixture to separate into an ester layer containing dimethyl sebacate and a layer containing the alkali metal monomethyl adipate, converting the dimethyl sebacate contained in the ester layer into sebacic acid by a two-stage hydrolysis step comprising hydrolysis using water at a temperature above 100‹ C. under superatmospheric pressure, and the amount of water added being not less than five times the weight of ester present, and hydrolysis using an aqueous solution of a mineral acid, e.g. nitric acid, and recovering the sebacic acid thus formed, e.g. by recrystallization from water. The sebacic acid formed may be purified with activated carbon. The starting material monomethyl adipate may be produced from adipic acid by esterification with methanol in the presence of dimethyl adipate. The methanol, alkali metal monoethyl adipate and the mineral acid used may be recycled.