Method for making alkyl- alpha -cyanoacrylate from depolymerization of poly(alkyl- alpha -cyanoacrylate)

摘要

A depolymerization and purification process, by which a poly(alkyl- alpha -cyanoacrylate) feed is depolymerized into high-purity cyanoacrylate monomers without the use of a high-boiling heat transfer medium such as tricresyl phosphate. The poly(alkyl- alpha -cyanoacrylate) feed, which contains one or more polymerization inhibitors such as hydroquinone and phosphorus pentoxide, is first introduced into a thin-film evaporator for a depolymerization reaction. The temperature of the film evaporator is maintained at about 200 DEG DIFFERENCE 260 DEG C., and operated under a vacuum of 1 DIFFERENCE 20 mm Hg. The produced gas stream from the depolymerization reactor is subject to a two-stage heat transfer process for condensation and purification. The first stage involves a very-high temperature condenser (about 150 DEG C.). The residue collected in the first stage condenser contains primarily dimers of alpha -cyanoacrylate. The second stage involves a conventional condenser at room temperature or lower temperature. The gaseous stream leaving the intermediate very-high temperature condenser contains primarily the desired cyanoacrylate monomer, thus it can be conveniently condensed in a conventional condenser, and the product is a very high purity cyanoacrylate product. This process eliminates the need of using a high-boiling heat transfer medium, thus eliminating the production of liquid waste, while allowing high-yield and high-purity final product of cyanoacrylate monomers to be produced in a continuous manner.