PRODUCTION OF ALPHA-HYDROXYCARBOXYLATE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a practical process for producing α-hydroxycarboxylate by reacting α-hydroxycarboxylic acid amide with an alcohol. SOLUTION: An α-hydroxycarboxylate is produced by reacting α- hydroxycarboxylic acid amide with an alcohol in liquid phase in the presence of a soluble metal complex catalyst while distilling ammonia generated as gas off vapor phase, feeding the liquid reaction product extracted from a reactor into a distilling region, separating unreacted alcohol and the resultant α- hydroxycarboxylate as vaporizing components and recycling a part or the whole of unvaporized components into the reactor.