Continuous preparation of alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid and apparatus for this purpose

US5811574A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BASF SE

Inventors

• Herbert Exner · Waldsee, DE
• Karl Baur · Baierbrunn, DE
• Toni Dockner
• Christiane Potthoff · Dortmund, DE
• Albrecht Dams · Monsheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 12, 1996
• Grant date: Sep 22, 1998
• Expiry date: Sep 12, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C67/08
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

In a process and an apparatus for the continuous preparation of alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid by reacting (meth)acrylic acid and monohydric alkanols of 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the homogeneous, liquid, solvent-free phase at elevated temperatures and in the presence of an acidic esterification catalyst, by feeding the (meth)acrylic acid, the alkanol and the acid catalyst continuously to a reaction zone, the reaction zone consists of a cascade of at least two reaction regions connected in series, and the discharge stream of one reaction region forms a feed stream of a downstream reaction region. The cascade may have from two to four reaction regions spatially separated from one another.