PRODUCTION OF ALIPHATIC (2E,4E)-DIENOIC ACID AND ITS ESTER

PURPOSE:To produce the titled compound useful as a preparation raw material of polymeric liposome and a useful physiologically active compound, by adding and reacting an alkali metal alkoxide to a mixture of an aliphatic aldehyde and a phosphonocrotonic acid derivative. CONSTITUTION:The aliphatic (2E,4E)-dienoic acid and its ester of formula III is produced by reacting the aliphatic aldehyde of formula I (n is 6-16) with the phosphonocrotonic acid derivative of formula II (R is H or lower alkyl; R is lower alkyl). The above reaction is carried out by adding an alkali metal alkoxide (e.g. soduim ethoxide) to a mixture of the aldehyde of formula I such as enantoaldehyde, caprylaldehyde, etc, and the compound of formula II such as 4-diethylphosphonocrotonic acid methyl ester, to obtain the compound of formula III[e.g. ethyl (2E,4E)-octadecadienoate]. The amount of the alkali metal alkoxide is preferably about 1.05-1.25mol per 1mol of the compound of formula I . EFFECT:The product can be purified easily to obtain a high purity compound.