PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF MALEIMIDE

摘要

A method for the manufacture of a maleimide comprising the steps of heating a maleinamic acid in an organic solvent capable of forming an azeotrope with water in the presence of an acid catalyst while causing the water formed during the course of said reaction to be removed from the reaction system in the form of an azeotrope with said organic solvent thereby effecting ring-closure imidation of said maleinamic acid, which method is characterized by separating and recovering an acid catalyst layer from the organic solvent layer after completion of said ring-closure imidation and circulating said acid catalyst layer to the step of said ring-closure imidation for repeated use therein.