Preparation of unsaturated diester precursor for sebacic acid and preparation of sebacic acid esters therefrom

摘要

A process for producing an unsaturated diester useful as a precursor for sebacic acid which comprises contacting, in a reaction inert medium, methyl-2,4-pentadienoate at a temperature of 30 to 150°C under an inert atmosphere with a catalytic amount of a homogeneous palladium (II) complex of the formulawherein Q is phosphorous or arsenic; R is alkyl, trichloroalkyl, tribromoalkyl or trifluoroalkyl having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or aryl having 6 to 12 carbon atoms and R' is alkyl, aminoalkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or aryl or aryloxy having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.;The foregoing precursor may subsequently be hydrogenated to dimethyl sebacate and sebacic acid may then be _I obtained by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of dimethyl sebacate.