IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE CATALYZED SYNTHESIS OF N-SUBSTITUTED ACRYLAMIDES AND METHACRYLAMIDES

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for the catalyzed synthesis of N-substituted acrylamides and methacrylamides. In particular the present process involves reacting an acrylic or methacrylic acid ester with an aliphatic or an amine in the presence of a catalyst and a polymerization inhibitor containing a hindered nitroxyl group.

Description: This invention relates to a process for producing N-substituted acrylamides or methacrylamides, and more particularly, to a process for the catalyzed synthesis of N-substituted acrylamides or methacrylamides by reacting an acrylic or methacrylic acid ester with an amine in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor containing a hindered nitroxyl group. Several references in the recent literature, see EP-A-117 530, U.S. Patents 4,206,143 and 4,321,411, have disclosed that various tin derivatives are capable of catalyzing the aminolysis reaction between esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid and amines to produce selective N-substituted acrylamides or methacrylamides. With the use of these catalysts, undesirable Michael-addition, i.e., addition of the amine to the acrylate double bond, is largely avoided. Depending on the particular reactants, reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, etc., these aminolysis reactions may proceed for extended periods (i.e. greater than 10 hours) before high conversions are achieved. Under these conditions, thermal polymerization of the starting (meth)acrylic esters and/or the product N-substituted (meth)acrylamides may occur leading to extensive product separation and clean-up procedures. JP-A-62 187710 discloses a polymerization inhibitor which can inhibit an N-monoalkyl-(meth)acrylamide from undergoing popcorn polymerization by using a compound selected among nitroso compounds and inorganic and organic stableradicals as a component. The polymerization inhibitor is obtained by using at least one compound selected from among (a) a nitroso compound (e.g., 1-nitroso-2-naphthol), (b) an inorganic stable radical (e.g. NO) and (c) an organic stable radical (e.g. an organic nitroxide radical having vicinol gemdimethyl substituents. The prior art teaches that to avoid such thermal polymerization side reactions, the aminolysis reaction should be carried out in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor such as 4-methyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenol, monomethyl ether of hydroquinone, etc. in the presence of a little air. Although the use of these inhibitors are known to prevent acrylate polymerization at low temperatures and short reaction times, these inhibitors are inefficient at high temperatures for prolonged periods. Unfortunately, the prior art does not disclose an efficient method of minimizing such thermal polymerization at high temperatures. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it would be desirable to have no polymeric or "high boiling impurities" left after separating the product from the tin-catalyst residues. This situation would allow (assuming the catalyst residue is still active) direct recycling of these residues back into the next reaction. Such a situation would offer many advantages including lower catalyst costs, reduced waste disposal and simpler process design. The prior art does not, however, provide any teaching of a method for the significant avoidance or polymeric or high boiling impurities thus allowing the isolation and recycle of catalyst residue. Therefore, there exists a need for a process which substantially minimizes by-product formation and permits the isolation and recycle of catalyst residue. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a new and improved process for the catalyzed synthesis of N-substituted acrylamide or methacrylamide derivatives by reacting an alkyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid with an aliphatic or aromatic amine in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor containing a hindered nitroxyl group. The present invention substantially eliminates by-product polymer formation and greatly improves product quality. In addition, the present invention permits substantial cost savings by recycling residues. Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention provides a process that substantially eliminates or minimizes thermal polymerization during the synthesis of N-substituted acrylamide or methacrylamide derivatives. By eliminating the formation of such by-products, one may recycle the catalyst residues and lower the overall cost of the process. The polymerization inhibitors for use in the present invention contain at least one hindered nitroxyl group. Inclusive of the inhibitors which are suitable for use in the present invention are of the formula: wherein R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ are independently linear or non-alpha branched alkyl radicals having 1 to 9 carbon atoms or one or both of R¹ and R² or R³ and R⁴ form a cycloalkyl ring having 5 to 7 carbon atoms inclusive of the carbon atom in the hetero ring; wherein A is -CH₂-, wherein R⁷ and R⁸ are independently hydrogen radicals, alkyl radicals having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl radicals having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or aralkyl radicals having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁵ is an alkylene radical having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms, an arylene radical having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkylene radical having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁶ is independently an alkyl radical having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl radical having 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkyl radical and wherein x is NH, S or O. Preferred nitroxyl group containing polymerization inhibitors are those of formula I, where R¹, R², R³, and R⁴ are each a linear alkyl radical having 1 carbon atom and A is -CH₂- or Another group of preferred inhibitors are of the formula III where R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ are each a linear alkyl radical having 1 carbon atom and R⁵ is an alkylene radical having 8 carbon atoms or an arylene radical having 6 carbon atoms. Techniques known to those skilled in this art may be used to prepare the inhibitors containing a hindered nitroxyl group. Representative of these methods of preparation are illustrated in J. Keana, "Newer Aspects of the Synthesis and Chemistry of Nitroxides Spin Labels", Chem. Reviews, 78 , 37-61 (1978) and E. Rozantsev et al, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 261, V/1, 109-110 (1981). Each of these references are incorporated by reference in their entirety. An alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid is reacted with an aliphatic or aromatic amine in the presence of a catalyst and the inhibitor containing at least one hindered nitroxyl group. The alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid may be of the formula: where R⁹ is a hydrogen radical or methyl radical, and R¹⁰ is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The preferred acrylates or methacrylates are methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and ethyl methacrylate since these are readily accessible industrially and the alcohol liberated upon aminolysis can easily be removed from the reaction mixture. As the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol group increases, the suitability of the ester decreases. From this point of view, alkyl esters having less than 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group are preferred. The alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid is reacted with an aliphatic or aromatic amine. Examples of such amines include those of the formula: HNR¹¹R¹² where R¹¹ is a hydrogen radical or alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R¹² is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, aryl radical having from about 6 to 20 carbon atoms, alkaryl radical having from about 7 to 20 carbon atoms, aralkyl radical having from about 7 to about 20 carbon atoms, or alkoxyalkyl radical having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms. R¹² may also be: where n is an integer of from 2 to 6 and R¹³ and R¹⁴ are independently alkyl groups having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms or R¹³ and R¹⁴ taken jointly are combined with the N' atom to form a heterocyclic ring group selected from the group consisting of morpholine, pyrrolidine or piperidine ring groups. Examples of specific amines which would be suitable are aniline, butylamine, n-octylamine, benzylamine, dimethylaminoneopentanamine, dimethylaminoethylamine, 3-dimethyl-aminopropylamine, 3-methylaminopropylamine, 2-dibutylaminoethylamine, 4-(aminopropyl) morpholine, 3-diethylaminopropylamine, hexamethylenediamine, 2-dimethylaminoethylamine, 1-(aminopropyl)piperidine, 4-(aminoethyl)morpholine, and p-aminodiphenylamine. Stoichiometrically, equimolar amounts of the acrylic or methacrylic acid esters and the amine are needed to form the respective N-substituted acrylamide or methacrylamide. However, an excess of ester may be used. Therefore, the mole ratio of the amine to ester may range from about 1:1 to 1:100. Preferably, the mole ratio of amine to ester ranges from about 1:2 to about 1:5. In order to maintain the respective mole ratio of the reactants, the total amount of reactants may be initially charged or either the amine or ester may be added gradually under the reaction conditions to the reaction mixture containing the other reactant. While the reaction conditions may vary, they should be such to promote the aminolysis reaction. The reaction between the amine and the ester may be conducted at a temperature in the range of from about 40°C to 200°C. Preferably the reaction is conducted at a temperature ranging from about 70°C to about 150°C. A reaction temperature ranging from about 110°C to 140°C is particularly preferred. Reaction pressure should be atmospheric to subatmospheric. The reaction time will obviously vary depending on such factors as the reaction temperature, reaction pressure, purity of the reactants, reactivity of the catalyst, desired extent of reaction of reactants and amount of catalyst, to name a few. Generally, the reaction may be conducted over a period of from about two to about twenty hours. The reaction vessel should be equipped with a means of agitation and an inlet for the introduction of an inert gas such as nitrogen. The reaction vessel is preferably equipped with a means of removing the alcohol produced in the reaction. The alcohol may be removed by a suitable distillation column at a suitable reflux ratio. The aminolysis reaction is conducted in the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst is generally dissolved or suspended in the acrylic or methacrylic acid ester. The catalyst may be an alkyltin alkoxide, dialkyltin alkoxide or trialkyltin alkoxide. Examples of alkyltin alkoxide catalysts are described in U.S. Patent 4,321,114. Suitable alkyltin alkoxides, dialkyltin alkoxides and trialkyltin alkoxides include butyltin trimethoxide, butyltin triethoxide, dibutyltin dimethoxide, dibutyltin diethoxide, dibutyltin diisoproxide, dibutyltin t-butoxide, dioctyltin dimethoxide, dioctyltin diethoxide, tributyltin methoxide, tributyltin ethoxide, triethyltin methoxide, trimethyltin methoxide and trioctyltin ethoxide. In addition, dialkyltin oxides may be used in the present invention. The dialkyltin oxide catalysts are described in U.S. Patent 4,206,143 which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Examples of suitable dialkyltin oxides include those catalysts where the alkyl group contains from about 1 to 12 carbon atoms such as dimethyltin oxide, diethyltin oxide, dipropyltin oxide, dibutyltin oxide, dipentyltin oxide, dihexyltin oxide and the like. Dialkyltin oxides in which each alkyl group has from about 4 to 8 carbon atoms are preferred. The tin catalyst which is particularly preferred for use in the present invention is dibutyltin oxide. Another class of catalysts useful in the method of this invention are metal alkoxides. The metal must have a valence of two to five. Examples of the metal alkoxides which may be suitable in the process of this invention may be represented by the formula: M(OR¹⁵) x where M is a metal atom selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, niobium, tantalum, copper, zinc, tin, lead, antimony and bismuth. R¹⁵ is a lower alkyl group of one to four carbon atoms and x is two to five depending on the valence of the metal atom. In addition to the metals noted above, metals in the same Periodic Table Groups may be expected to form active metal alkoxide compounds. The elements would be those metals of Groups IIIB, VB, IB, IIB, IVA and VA such as vanadium, silver, cadmium, germanium and the like. The alkoxy groups contain alkyl substituents having one to four carbon atoms and can either be straight or branched. This definition includes methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl and isobutyl groups. Note that the catalyst contains no alkyl groups attached directly to the metal. An oxygen atom always intervenes. Representative catalysts of this group include stannous dimethoxide, stannous tetramethoxide, lead diethoxide, zinc dimethoxide, copper dimethoxide, antimony trimethoxide, bismuth trimethoxide, bismuth tributoxide, tantalum ethoxide, niobium ethoxide and lanthanum diisopropoxide, among others. The number of alkoxy groups should be either two through five, enough to satisfy the valence requirement of the metal atom. Generally, the catalysts may be made by reacting a metal halide compound with an alkaline substance such as an amine or ammonia or alkali metal alkoxide in the presence of an alcohol (Example I, V, VI and VII). Alternatively, an alcohol and a metal oxide can be reacted together. Or an alkyl metal compound could be reacted with an alcohol. In reality, these catalysts are often not pure metal alkoxides. They may contain chlorine or other halogen atoms where an alkoxy group would be (see the catalyst preparation examples). The catalyst must have at least one alkoxy group. It could have up to four halogen substituents, depending on the valence of the metal. But as many substituents as possible should be alkoxy. One of the advantages of the present invention is the ability to recycle catalyst residues. As one skilled in the art is aware, once the oxide containing catalyst has been reacted, the catalyst residue contains a different complex or complexes than originally charged to the virgin reaction. When a tin-catalyst is used, the complex is believed to contain Sn-N bonds generated from the reaction of organotin oxide and amine. These complexes are known as aminostannanes. Assuming the catalyst residue is still active, use of these catalyst residues are contemplated for use in the present invention as the sole catalyst or partial substitute for the above described catalysts. The catalyst is present in an amount sufficient to catalyze the reaction of an acrylic acid ester or methacrylic acid ester with the amine to provide an N-substituted acrylamide or methacrylamide. The amount of catalyst will vary depending on the particular catalyst selected. Generally, the catalyst may be used in an amount of from about 0.05% to 20% and preferably from 0.1% to about 15%, based on the weight of the amines. As mentioned above, an inhibiting amount of the nitroxyl containing inhibitor is present during the aminolysis reaction between the amine and the acrylic or methacrylic acid ester. The inhibitor is typically present in an amount ranging from about 10 ppm to 1500 ppm, and preferably from about 20 ppm to 600 ppm based on the weight of the ester. The aminolysis reaction may be carried out in the absence of a solvent, in addition to the reactants, or in the presence of an additional suitable solvent such as benzene, toluene, xylene, mesitylene, or decahydronaphthalene. Preferably, the aminolysis reaction is carried out in the absence of a solvent. Upon completion of the aminolysis reaction, the desired product may be in suspension. The solid product is isolated, e.g., filtration, from the remaining filtrate. The filtrate containing the catalyst residues and little if any by-product or polymer build-up may be used for subsequent preparation of additional product. To the filtrate can be added additional make-up amine and ester. If needed, make-up catalyst may be added. The present invention will be further illustrated by the following examples which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Examples 1-16 The following examples were conducted to demonstrate the benefit of the present invention (Examples 2-5) versus other compounds (6-16) in a tin-catalyzed aminolysis reaction with (meth)acrylic esters. 184 grams (1.0 mole) of p-aminodiphenylamine (p-ADPA), 426 grams (4.26 moles) of methyl methacrylate (stabilized with 10 ppm of MEHQ), 12.4 grams (0.05 mole) dibutyltin oxide catalyst and inhibitor (the ppm based on the amount of methyl methacrylate) were charged into a 1 liter, 3 neck, round bottomed flask equipped with a mechanical teflon paddle stirrer, pot thermometer, nitrogen inlet, septum sampling port and a 1-foot silvered vacuum jacketed column packed with stainless steel protrusion packing topped with a solenoid activated distillation splitter. The system was brought to reflux under a slow nitrogen purge with the splitter set at a 1/1 reflux ratio (3 seconds on/3 seconds off) for the first 6 hours and a 1/2 ratio (3 seconds on/6 seconds off) for the last 5 hours of the reaction. A standard reaction time of 11 hours was followed in all cases. After the reaction time was completed, the column and splitter were removed and replaced with a short path distillation head and a 250 ml addition funnel. The remaining methyl methacrylate was distilled out under a nitrogen atmosphere while 250 ml of xylene was being concurrently added. When the pot temperature reached 130°C, an additional 200 ml of xylene was added to the pot all at once. The hot solution was then poured into a 1-liter beaker in an ice water bath. The product, N-(4-anilinophenyl) methacrylamide, was crystallized with stirring and allowed to stand in the ice bath until reaching 25-30°C. At this point, the product was filtered off and the filter cake washed portionwise with approximately 800 ml of xylene until the filtrate was almost colorless. The product was then dried over night in a 50-60°C circulating air oven. After drying, the crude weight was obtained and a crude yield calculated. 110 grams of the crude product was then dissolved in a 330 ml of methanol at 35°C with stirring. Filtration of this solution leaves the polymeric by-product as a dark semi-solid residue. Table I below lists the various inhibitors which were used, the concentration of the inhibitor, percent crude product yield and the weight percent of undesired polymer in the crude product. Example 1 was conducted in the presence of 10 ppm MEHQ as the control. Examples 2-5 represent the use of an inhibitor of the present invention added in addition to the 10 ppm MEHQ originally present in the methyl methacrylate. Examples 6-16 represent a number of prior art inhibitors that are known to those skilled in the art used in addition to 10 ppm MEHQ present in the methyl methacrylate. As can be seen in Table I, use of a polymerization inhibitor containing at least one nitroxyl group resulted in trace, if any, amounts of polymer formed in the product, N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide. In comparison, with the control (Example 1) or with an inhibitor that did not contain a hindered nitroxyl group, substantial amounts of undesired polymer were found. Example 17 The following example was conducted in order to demonstrate the advantage of the present invention by avoiding polymer build-up permitting recycle of the catalyst residue for further processing of product. First Cycle Preparation of N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide 300 grams (1.19 moles) of pure N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide, 950 grams (9.5 moles) of methyl methacrylate (MMA), 184 grams (1.0 mole) of p-aminodiphenylamine, 24.8 grams (0.10 mole) of dibutyltin oxide and 0.475 grams (0.00275 moles) 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol-1-oxyl (4-H-TEMPO), free radical (500 ppm based on MMA) were charged into a 2 liter 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical teflon paddle stirrer, thermometer, nitrogen inlet, septum sampling port and short Vigreux distillation set-up. The mixture was stirred at room temperature under slow nitrogen purge to dissolve N-(4-anilinophenyl) methacrylamide and p-aminodiphenylamine prior to obtaining an initial sample. The mixture was then heated to the point where the distillate temperature coming over was 85-92°C. Samples of the reaction mixture were taken periodically and the reaction followed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) using ethyl acetate as the solvent and iodine vapor as the developer. The reaction was run a total of 13.5 hours, and 341 grams of distillate was removed. After cooling to room temperature, 159 grams of MMA was added back to the reaction slurry. At this point, it was believed the reaction mixture contained about 552 grams N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide (300 grams original charge + 252 grams prepared) and 700 grams of MMA (905 grams original charge - 100 grams reacted - 309 grams distilled + 159 grams MMA addback). Since the solubility of N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide in MMA at room temperature is about 30% by weight, about 300 grams of the N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide would be dissolved in 700 grams of MMA leaving the 252 grams (1 mole) of generated N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide as a slurry suspended in the saturated solution. The slurry was filtered to isolate N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide as fine crystalline needles. The dark brown filtrate was removed and the product cake washed carefully with 800 ml of xylene portionwise until the filtrate was clear. The product, N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide was green-yellow in color. The filtercake was dried in a circulating air oven at 60°C overnight to obtain 302 grams of product. The xylene filtrate (containing MMA, N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide and catalyst residues) was stripped of xylene under reduced pressure. The residue was then dissolved in 250 grams MMA and added back to the original filtrate. The filtrate solution concentrations now approximate the starting concentrations, that is, 950 grams MMA containing about 300 grams N-(4-anilinophenyl)-methacrylamide and 0.10 mole tin catalyst residues. Second Cycle Preparation of N-(4-anilinophenyl) methacrylamide To the modified filtrate from the first cycle was added an additional 184 grams (1.0 mole) of p-aminodiphenylamine in a 2 liter 3-neck flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer, nitrogen inlet, septum sampling port, port thermometer, one foot jacketed stainless steel protrusion packed column topped with a solenoid activated distillation splitter. The system was brought to reflux under a slow nitrogen purge with the splitter set at a 1/1 reflux ratio. The rheostat was adjusted to about 65 setting to maintain a distillate takeoff temperature of 85-92°C. Samples were taken via syringe periodically for TLC analysis. After 14 hours, the TLC spot intensities were about the same as those in the initial run after 13.5 hours. A total of 223 grams of distillate was obtained (about 32 grams methanol + 191 grams MMA). At this point, sufficient MMA was added back to the pot to bring the total to approximately 700 grams (950 grams start - 100 grams reacted - 191 distillate + 41 grams addback). The reaction slurry was then filtered at room temperature and worked up in an identical manner to the previous run. 245 grams of green-yellow product, N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide, were obtained after drying. The product appears identical to the product of the first cycle. Melting points of both products were 106-107.5°C indicating exceptionally high purity. Examples 18-32 The following examples were conducted to demonstrate the effect of the presence or absence of a polymerization inhibitor containing a nitroxyl group. The inhibitor that was used was 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol-1-oxyl (4-H-TEMPO). The methyl methacrylate (MMA, stabilized with 10 ppm MEHQ), p-amino diphenylamine (p-ADPA), dibutyltin oxide (DBTO) and inhibitor, if any, were charged into a 3 neck, round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical teflon paddle stirrer, pot thermometer, nitrogen inlet, septum sampling port and a 1 foot silvered vacuum jacketed column packed with stainless steel protrusion packing topped with a solenoid activated distillation splitter. The system was brought to reflux under a slow nitrogen purge with the reflux ratio controlled to maintain an overhead temperature between 70°C and 90°C. Samples of the reaction mixture were periodically analyzed by gas chromatography using tetrahydrofuran as the solvent. A reaction time of between 10 and 15 hours was followed. After the reaction time was completed, the column and splitter were removed and replaced with a short path distillation head and a 250 ml addition funnel. The remaining MMA was distilled out using a nitrogen atmosphere. In some cases, 250 ml of xylene was concurrently added. When the pot temperature reached 130°C, 200 ml of additional xylene or MMA was added to the pot all at once. The hot solution was then poured into a glass beaker in an ice water bath. The product, N-(4-anilinophenyl)-methacrylamide, was crystallized with stirring and allowed to stand in the ice bath until reaching 25-30°C. At this point, the product was filtered off and the filter cake washed portionwise with xylene or MMA until the filtrate was almost colorless. The product was dried in a 50-60°C circulating air oven. After drying, the weight and purity of the desired product was ascertained, the percent yield of desired product calculated, and the percent polymer in the finished product was established by GPC. Table II below lists for each example the amounts of reactants used, the reaction solvent, whether a xylene chase was used, solvent used for the crystallization of the product, and the percentage of undesired polymer in the finished product. As can be seen from Examples 18-23, the presence of an inhibitor containing at least one nitroxyl group results in a product of high purity and a significant avoidance of thermal polymerization. Examples 24-32 demonstrate that whereas one may produce products in relatively high yields, there were significant amounts of polymer product. Examples 33-42 The following examples were conducted to study the effect of inhibitor levels in a tin-catalyzed aminolysis reaction. The polymerization inhibitor was 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol-1-oxyl (4-H-TEMPO). The methyl methacrylate (MMA, stabilized with 10 ppm MEHQ), p-amino diphenylamine (p-ADPA), dibutyltin oxide (DBTO) and inhibitor, if any, were charged into a 3 neck, round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical teflon paddle stirrer, pot thermometer, nitrogen inlet, septum sampling port and a 1 foot silvered vacuum jacketed column packed with stainless steel protrusion packing topped with a solenoid activated distillation splitter. The system was brought to reflux under a slow nitrogen purge with the reflux ratio controlled to maintain an overhead temperature between 70°C and 90°C. Samples of the reaction mixture were periodically analyzed by gas chromatography using tetrahydrofuran as the solvent. A reaction time of between 10 to 15 hours was followed. After the reaction time was completed, the column and splitter were removed and replaced with a short path distillation head and a 250 ml addition funnel. The remaining MMA was distilled out rising a nitrogen atmosphere. When the pot temperature reached 130°C, 200 ml of xylene or MMA was added to the pot all at once. The hot solution was then poured into a glass beaker in an ice bath. The product, N-(4-anilinophenyl)methacrylamide, was crystallized with stirring and allowed to stand in the ice bath until reaching 25-30°C. At this point, the product was filtered off and the filter cake washed portionwise with xylene or MMA until the filtrate was almost colorless. The product was dried in a 50-60°C circulating air oven. After drying, the weight and purity of desired product was ascertained, the percent yield of desired product calculated and the percent polymer in the finished product was established by GPC. Table III below lists for each example the amounts of reactants used, the amount of 4-H-TEMPO in grams and ppm based on MMA, the reaction solvent, whether a xylene chase was used, the solvent used for the crystallization of the product, the percentage of undesired polymer in the finished product, the weight, purity and the percent yield of the desired product. The data listed in Table III above would indicate that relatively small amounts, i.e., 10 ppm are effective in the avoidance of detectable polymer formation. In addition, the data indicate that as the amount of inhibitor is increased, there was no significant effect on product purity. Example 43 The following examples were conducted to demonstrate the effect of recycling tin-catalyst residues in a series of aminolysis reactions. The general procedure of Examples 33-43 was repeated except the tin-catalyst containing filtrate was recycled and make-up reactants were added. In all runs, MMA was the reaction solvent, there was no xylene chase and the product was crystallized from MMA. The filtrate was recycled eleven times. After the original run and each recycle, the amount of undesired polymer and the weight, purity and yield of product was ascertained. This data appears below in Table IV as well as the weight of the recycled filtrate, the amount of 4-H-TEMPO, the amount of DBTO, MMA and p-ADPA. Example 43 demonstrates that use of a polymerization inhibitor containing at least one nitroxyl group allows the recycle of tin-containing catalyst residues. As can be seen in Table IV above, in all of the recycle reactions, the purity of the end product remained relatively high without any major reduction in the percentage of yield. The above examples are given by way of illustration only and are not intended as limitations in the scope of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims: A process for the catalyzed synthesis of N-substituted acrylamides characterized by reacting at a temperature ranging from 70° to 150°C an alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid with an aliphatic or aromatic amine in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor containing a nitroxyl group and in the presence of 0.05% to 20% based on the weight of the amine of a catalyst compound selected from the group consisting of an alkyltin oxide, trialkyltin alkoxide, a dialkyltin oxide, or a metal alkoxide having the formula: M(OR¹⁵) x wherein M is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, niobium, tantalum, copper, zinc, tin, lead, antimony and bismuth, R¹⁵ is a lower alkyl radical having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and x is two through five depending on the valence of the metal atom or residue of said catalyst compound wherein the polymerization inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: wherein R¹, R², R³, and R⁴ are independently linear or non-alpha branched alkyl radicals having 1 to 9 carbon atoms or one or both of R¹ and R² or R³ and R⁴ form a cycloalkyl ring having 5 to 7 carbon atoms inclusive of the carbon atom in the hetero ring; wherein A is -CH₂-, wherein R⁷ and R⁸ are independently hydrogen radicals, alkyl radicals having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl radicals having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or aralkyl radicals having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁵ is an alkylene radical having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms, an arylene radical having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkylene radical having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁶ is independently an alkyl radical having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl radical having 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkyl radical and wherein X is NH, S or O. The process of claim 1 characterized in that the polymerization inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of the formula II and III, wherein R¹, R², R³, and R⁴ are independently a linear alkyl radical having 1 carbon atom; R⁵ is an alkylene radical having 8 carbon atoms or an arylene radical having 6 carbon atoms and A is -CH₂- or -CH-OH. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said acrylic or methacrylic acid ester is of the formula: where R⁹ is a hydrogen radical or methyl radical and R¹⁰ is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said amine is of the formula: HNR¹¹R¹² wherein R¹¹ is a hydrogen radical or alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R¹² is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, an alkaryl radical having from about 7 to about 10 carbon atoms, an aralkyl radical having from about 7 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkoxyalkyl having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms, or wherein n is an integer of from 2 to 6 and R¹³ and R¹⁴ are independently alkyl radicals having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or R¹³ and R¹⁴, when taken jointly, are combined with the N' atom to form a heterocyclic ring group selected from the group consisting of morpholine pyrrolidine and piperidine ring groups. The process of claim : characterized in that the molar ratio of said amine to said alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid ranges from about 1:1 to about 1:100. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said polymerization inhibitor is present in an amount ranging from about 10 ppm to about 1500 ppm based on the weight of the ester. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said catalyst is a dialkyltin oxide wherein each alkyl radical is independently an alkyl radical having from about 1 to 12 carbon atoms. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said dialkyltin oxide is dibutyltin oxide. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said catalyst is an alkyltin alkoxide, dialkyltin alkoxide or trialkyltin alkoxide. The process of claim 9 characterized in that said catalyst is selected from the group consisting of butyltin trimethoxide, butyltin triethoxide, dibutyltin dimethoxide, dibutyltin diethoxide, dibutyltin diisoproxide, dibutyltin t-butoxide , dioctyltin dimethoxide, dioctyltin diethoxide, tributyltin methoxide, tributyltin ethoxide, triethyltin methoxide, trimethyltin methoxide and trioctyltin ethoxide. The process of claim 1 characterized in that said process is conducted in the presence of a solvent selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, mesitylene and decahydronaphthalene. The process of claim 1 characterized by: (a) reacting at a temperature ranging from 70°C to 150°C an alkyl ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid ester of the formula: with an amine of the formula: HNR¹¹R¹² in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor selected from the group consisting of: in the presence of 0.05% to 20% based on the weight of the amine of a catalyst compound selected from the group consisting of an alkyltin alkoxide, trialkyl alkoxide, a dialkyltin oxide or a metal alkoxide having the formula: M(OR¹⁵) x wherein R¹, R², R³, and R⁴ are independently linear or non-alpha branched alkyl radicals having 1 to 9 carbon atoms or one or both of R¹ and R² or R³ and R⁴ form a cycloalkyl ring having 5 to 7 carbon atoms inclusive of the carbon atom in the hetero ring; wherein A is -CH₂-, wherein R⁷ and R⁸ are independently hydrogen radicals, alkyl radicals having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl radicals having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or aralkyl radicals having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁵ is an alkylene radical having from 5 to 10 carbon atoms, an arylene radical having from 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkylene radical having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms; wherein R⁶ is independently an alkyl radical having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl radical having 6 to 14 carbon atoms or an aralkyl radical and wherein X is NH, S or O; wherein R⁹ is a hydrogen radical or methyl radical and R¹⁰ is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms; wherein R¹¹ is a hydrogen radical or alkyl radical having from about 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R¹² is an alkyl radical having from about 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, an alkaryl radical having from about 7 to about 20 carbon atoms, an aralkyl radical having from about 7 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkoxyalkyl having from about 2 to about 20 carbon atoms, or wherein n is an integer of from 2 to 6 and R¹³ and R¹⁴ are independently alkyl radicals having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or R¹³ and R¹⁴, when taken jointly, are combined with the N' atom to form a heterocyclic ring group selected from the group consisting of morpholine, pyrrolidine and piperidine ring groups; wherein M is a metal selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, niobium, tantalum, copper, zinc, tin, lead, antimony and bismuth, R¹⁵ is a lower alkyl radical having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and x is two through five depending on the valence of the metal atom; (b) isolating the N-substituted acrylamide from the filtrate containing the catalyst residue; and (c) repeating step (a) with the catalyst residue as the catalyst compound. The process of claim 12 wherein additional amounts of catalyst is added to the catalyst residue.

Inventors: GOODWIN, JEFFREY ALAN, PARKER, DANE KENTON
Applicants: THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
Application year: 1989
Main classification: C07C231
IPC codes: C07C233, C07C231, B01J31, C07B61