PREPARATION OF 2-HYDROXYALKYL ACRYLATE OR 2-HYDROXYALKYL METHACRYLATE

PURPOSE:To prepare the titled compound in high quality and yield, safely, economically, in an industrial scale, by adding water to the crude product obtained from acrylic or methacrylic acid and alkylene oxide, and heat-treating and distilling the mixture. CONSTITUTION:Acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is esterified with an alkylene oxide in the presence of a ferric salt of an organic carboxylic acid (preferably ferric acrylate or ferric methacrylate) and the reaction product is distilled to obtain the titled compound. In the above process, the reaction liquid is added with 0.1-5wt% water after the completion of the esterification reaction, subjected to the heat-treatment at 60-100 deg.C for about 0.5-5hr, and distilled to obtain 2-hydroxyalkyl acrylate or 2-hydroxyalkyl methacrylate.