PRODUCTION OF UNSATURATED LOWER FATTY ACID ESTER

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain a compound useful as a raw material for various plastics from inexpensive raw materials by one reactor and in high yield, by reacting a saturated acid with a formed which is simply synthesized from formaldehyde and an alcohol. CONSTITUTION:A saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid (saturated acid) is decomposed and esterified with formal in the presence of a solid acid catalyst (e.g. phosphoric acid supported on diatomaceous earth) in a gaseous phase at 150-400 deg.C. Formed formaldelhyde, a lower fatty acid ester and an alcohol are subjected to aldol condensation reaction in the presence of a solid base catalyst (e.g. alkali metal supporting oxide or potassium supporting silica) at 250-400 deg.C to give the aimed substance. The molar ratio of the saturated acid/ formal is 1/3-5/1 in the reaction.