Manufacture of 5-cyanovaleric acid and its esters using cyclic cosolvents.

摘要

Manufacture of 5-cyanovaleric acid by carbonylation of pentenenitriles from a mixture consisting essentially of pentenenitrile, CO and at least one compound of the formula ROH, where R is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and a cyclic urea and/or a cyclic amide, where the combined weight of the cosolvents is between about 70% and 99% of the total weight of the reaction mixture.