Process for preparing glycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate

摘要

An improved process for preparing glycidyl acrylate or glycidyl methacrylate is indicated, in which process acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is neutralised with an alkali metal carbonate and/or an alkali metal bicarbonate, which is suspended in an excess of an epihalohydrin, with the formation of an alkali metal acrylate or alkali metal methacrylate, the water which is formed in the neutralisation reaction is subsequently virtually removed from the reaction system as an azeotrope with the epihalohydrin, and subsequently a catalyst is added to the reaction system and the alkali metal acrylate or alkali metal methacrylate is esterified with the epihalohydrin, with 1) the neutralisation reaction being carried out at a temperature not exceeding 108 DEG C and with the gradual addition of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid to the suspension of the alkali metal carbonate and/or alkali metal bicarbonate in the epihalohydrin, and the quantity of the alkali metal carbonate and/or the alkali metal bicarbonate being at least about 1.1 equivalents per equivalent of the acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, 2) the neutralisation reaction and the esterification reaction being carried out while air is being blown into the reaction system, and 3) the reaction mixture being mixed with water after the esterification, the organic layer being separated off from the aqueous layer and the organic layer then being subjected to distillation.