摘要 |
Acetoacetic acid esters are prepared by reacting diketene with an alcohol in the presence of an acid esterification catalyst, the diketene, alcohol and catalyst being introduced into the reaction product of the diketene and alcohol, obtained either by the process according to the present invention or by any other suitable process, which has been pre-heated to the reaction temperature, any secondary products which are simultaneously formed and whose boiling points are below the reaction temperature being separated together with unreacted alcohol by distillation from the crude acetoacetic acid ester which has been formed. The temperature of the reaction medium is preferably in the range from 90 DEG C. to the boiling-point of the acetoacetic ester. |