Methyl Methacrylate → Isodecyl methacrylate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Four hundred seventy four grams (3.0 moles) of isodecyl alcohol, 750 g (7.5 moles) of methyl methacrylate (MMA), 1.75 g (3.0 millimol) of hafnium actylacetonate, and 50 mg diethylhydroxylamine and 25 mg phenothiazine free radical polymerization inhibitors, are added to a 3 liter flask equipped with an agitator, thermometer, and a 10-plate Oldershaw fractional distillation column. The mixture was heated to reflux at atmospheric pressure while an azeotropic mixture of MMA and methanol was removed from the upper part of the fractionating column. The reaction was continued in this manner for approximately 90 minutes while the temperature at the top of the column was 65°-67° C. and the temperature in the pot was 106°-124° C. Excess MMA was removed under vacuum and the resulting IDMA was isolated (660 grams, 99.0% yield) and analyzed. Gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) analysis showed >99.9% conversion of isodecanol to IDMA of 99.8% purity.

Provenance & Evidence