Preparation of 2-oxazolines by cyclodehydration process employing inorganic iron salts as catalysts

摘要

A cyclodehydration process for preparing 2-oxazolines by reacting in liquid phase (a) an N-(2-hydroxyalkyl)-carboxamide with (b) a small but catalytic amount of an ironcontaining compound that has minimum solubility of at least 100 parts per million in the reaction mixture. The reaction is normally conducted at temperatures of 180°C to 200°C and under reduced pressure. Both 2-H- and 2-substituted-2-oxazolines are prepared by this process. Yields of 83 percent or more are obtained.