Process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran

Abstract: According to the disclosure, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which is useful as a comonomer for polyether glycol to be used as a starting raw material for spandex fibers is produced in high selectivity and industrially advantageous manner from inexpensive starting raw materials by a process in which at first methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is produced from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate and then is reacted with water and sulfuric acid, the resulting reaction product is reacted with an alcohol to form a methylsuccinic acid ester, and subsequently the resultant ester is catalytically hydrogenated; or a process in which the aforesaid methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is hydrated to form methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate, which is then reacted with a formic acid ester to form methylsuccinic acid ester and formamide and subsequently the resultant methylsuccinic acid ester is catalytically hydrogenated.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. More particularly, it pertains to a process for producing, in an efficient and industrially advantageous manner, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which is useful, for example, as a comonomer for polyether glycol to be used as a starting raw material for spandex® fibers, by the use of inexpensive starting raw materials. 2. Description of Related Arts It is known that 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is a useful compound, for example, as a comonomer for polyether glycol which is a starting raw material for spandex® fibers. The 3-methyltetrahydrofuran can be produced by any of a variety of conventional processes, which however, can not necessarily be said to be a satisfactory process because of expensiveness in starting raw materials, low selectivity to the objective product, severe conditions in the reaction or the like. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 218669/1988, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced together with 3- and 4-methylbutyrolactone by the hydrogenation of citric acid, but the selectivity to the objective product is about 70%. According to USP No. 3956318, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of an epoxide in liquid phase in the presence of a protonic acid, but the epoxide as a starting raw material is expensive. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62835/1990, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by the cyclization of a diol which is obtained by the catalytic hydrogenation of 4-hydroxybutyraldehyde or 2-hydroxytetrahydrofuran in the presence of an aldehyde, but the diol as a starting raw material is expensive and besides, the objective product is accompanied by the by-production of tetrahydrofuran. In addition, there is disclosed a process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran by the hydrogenation of methylmaleic acid or methylsuccinic acid in Japanese Patent Publication No. 9463/1974, but the process is evidently difficult to put into industrial practice, since the starting raw material is difficult to procure and besides the hydrogenation is carried out under severe conditions. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 22405/1973, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by a process comprising the steps of hydroformylating 1,4-butenediol in the presence of a catalyst; separating the catalyst from the reactant; then catalytically hydrogenating the aqueous solution of the hydroformylated product which is presumed to be 2-formyl-1,4-butanediol to obtain 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol; and cyclizing the resulting 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol to obtain 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 117258/1993 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 55179/1992 (corresponding to EP-A-0 133 739), 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by the cyclization of diol which is obtained by the catalytic hydrogenation of 1,4-butynediol or 1,4-butenediol in the presence of an aldehyde. However, the 1,4-butynediol and 1,4-butenediol as the starting raw material in the above process are both expensive, since they are obtained from acetylene and besides, the objective product is accompanied with the by-production of tetrahydrofuran. Dane et al. (in Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie 1957 ; vol. 607, 92 - 108) describe the preparation of 3-carbamoyl-2-methyl propionic esters from methacrylic esters via 3-cyano-2-methyl-propionic esters. In DE-A-38 01 863 the preparation of 2-methyl-butanediol from 2-methyl-succinic diesters is described. A further method to prepare 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol is described in US -A-3,859,369 comprising the step of hydroformylating 1,4-butenediol with carbon monoxyde and hydrogen. The preparation of prussic acid by the catalytic dehydrative reaction is described in EP-A- 0 657 384. A method for the preparation of 2-methyl-succinic acid by the reaction of alkyl methacrylate with hydrogen and carbon monoxide and the subsequent oxidation and hydrolysis is described in JP -A- 07 258 149. According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 219981/1994, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced together with 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol by the catalytic hydrogenation of itaconic acid, 3-formyl-2-methylpropionic acid or an ester thereof, but the method was rather expensive and the yield of the reaction was not satisfactory. In view of the above, the conventional processes as mentioned above are far from satisfactory from the industrial point of view because of expensiveness in starting raw material, low selectivity to the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran or the like. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran in high selectivity and in an industrially advantageous manner by the use of inexpensive starting raw materials, while overcoming the disadvantages involved in the conventional processes for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. Under such circumstances, intensive research and investigation were accumulated by the present inventors in order to attain the above-mentioned object. As a result, it has been found that the above-mentioned object can be attained by a process in which at first methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is produced from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate and then is reacted with water and sulfuric acid, the resulting reaction product is reacted with an alcohol to form a methylsuccinic acid ester, and subsequently the resultant ester is catalytically hydrogenated. It has also been found that the object can be attained by a process in which the aforesaid methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is hydrated to form methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate, which is then reacted with a formic acid ester to form a methylsuccinic acid ester and formamide, and subsequently the resultant methylsuccinic acid ester is catalytically hydrogenated. The present invention has been accomplished by the above-mentioned finding and information. That is to say, the present invention provides, as the first aspect thereof, a process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which comprises the first step of (a) producing methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate; the second step of (b) reacting the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which has been produced in the first step with water and sulfuric acid and subsequently reacting the resultant reaction product with an alcohol to produce a methylsuccinic acid ester; and the third step of (c) catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been produced in the second step to produce the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. The present invention also provides, as the second aspect thereof, a process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which comprises the first step of (a) producing methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate; the second step of (b') hydrating the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which has been produced in the first step to produce methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate; the third step of (b") producing a methylsuccinic acid ester and formamide from the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate which has been produced in the second step and a formic acid ester; and the fourth step of (c) catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been produced in the third step to produce the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The process according to the first aspect of the present invention is composed of the aforesaid three steps (a), (b) and (c), while the process according to the second aspect of the present invention is composed of the aforestated four steps (a), (b'), (b") and (c). In the first place, some description will be given of the first aspect of the present invention. The following are the reaction formulae of the whole steps for the first aspect of the present invention. In the first step, that is, the step (a) in the first aspect of the invention, methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is produced from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate. The production process for the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate in the first step is not specifically limited, but the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate can be produced by a publicly known conventional process. For example, methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is produced by reacting prussic acid with methyl methacrylate at a temperature in the range of about 40 to 130°C in a proper solvent such as lower alkyl-substituted pyrrolidone and dimethyl sulfoxide in the presence of a catalyst such as a cyanogen compound of an alkali metal. In the second step, that is, the step (b), methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which has been prepared in the above-mentioned first step is reacted with water and sulfuric acid, and the resulting reaction product is reacted with an alcohol to produce a methylsuccinic acid ester. In more detail, water and a proper amount of sulfric acid were added to methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate, in which a molar amount of water is preferably 0.8 to 1.1, more preferably 0.9 to 1.05 times a molar amount of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate. The reaction temperature is 50 to 100°C, preferably 60 to 80°C. After the completion of the hydration reaction, the reaction product is incorporated with an alcohol in an excess amount, in a molar amount of preferably 2 to 20 times the molar amount of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate to proceed with esterifying reaction at a temperature of about 70 to 160°C, preferably 100 to 140°C with the result that the ester is formed together with acidic ammonium sulfate. A reaction temperature higher than 160°C in the aforesaid esterifying reaction results in the liability to increase in the by-production of an ether due to the dehydration of the alcohol, whereas that lower than 70°C often leads to impracticality because of an unreasonably low rate of reaction. A more preferable result is obtained when the esterifying reaction is carried out by intermittantly or continuously supplying the alcohol in a molar amount of 2 to 6 times that of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate so as to maintain the reaction temperature in the range of about 80 to 130°C under the reflux of the alcohol. The alcohol to be employed in the esterifying reaction is preferably an aliphatic alcohol having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, more preferably a primary alcohol, particularly preferably methanol taking into consideration the steps of purification, separation and the like. In the last third-step, that is, the step (c), the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been prepared in the preceding second-step. The catalytically hydrogenating reaction may be of either batch system or continuous system, but is preferably of trickle bed system by the use of a fixed bed catalyst. The feed amount by weight per unit time (hour) of the methylsuccinic acid ester is about 0.05 to 1.0 times the amount by weight of the catalyst. The conditions of the catalytically hydrogenating reaction vary depending on the type of the ester as the starting material and the kind of the catalyst, but generally include a reaction temperature in the range of 100 to 300°C and a reaction pressure of 1.961 MPa gauge pressure (20 kg/cm 2 G) or higher. The hydrogen gas to be used in the above-mentioned reaction is not necessarily required to be highly pure, but may contain an inert gas such as nitrogen and methane which does not exert evil influence upon the catalytically hydrogenating reaction. The catalyst to be used in the hydrogenating reaction in the third step preferably contains, as a principal component, copper or an element belonging to any of the groups 7a and 8 of the Periodic table. In more detail, examples of effective element as a principal component of the catalyst in the aforesaid reaction include copper, cobalt, nickel, iron, rhenium, palladium, ruthenium, platinum, and rhodium. Examples of effective promoter include a solid acid component containing chromium, molybdenum, manganese, barium, magnesium, silicon or aluminum. As particularly preferable catalyst for the reaction, mention is made of so called copper/chromite containing copper as the principal component and the aforesaid copper/chromite incorporated with manganese, barium or the like as a promoter component. In the case where the particularly preferable copper/chromite is used as catalyst for the hydrogenating reaction, the preferable reaction conditions include a reaction temperature of 150 to 280°C and a reaction pressure of 4.903 to 19.613 MPa gauge pressure (50 to 200 kg/cm 2 G). The particularly preferable catalyst composed of copper/chromium/barium (or manganese) is prepared, for example, in the following ways. (1) Cupric oxide (CuO), chromium (III) oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ), and manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) or barium oxide (BaO) each in the form of solid are mixed with each other and further incorporated with graphite or the like as a lubricant with sufficient mixing, thereafter the resulting mixture is molded by a usual method and the resultant molding is calcined at a high temperature, followed by crushing into the suitable sizes for use. (2) To the aqueous solution of ammonium dichromate which has been incorporated with aqueous ammonia is added dropwise under stirring, the aqueous solution of cupric nitrate (or cupric sulfate, etc.), and manganese nitrate (or manganese sulfate, etc.) or barium nitrate which solution has separately been prepared. The resultant precipitate is washed with water, dried and then calcined at a temperature of about 350°C, for example, in the air. The resultant calcined product in the form of powder can be used as it is for the reaction. Alternatively, it can be incorporated with an appropriate binding agent and/or a lubricant with sufficient mixing and thereafter molded for use in the form of molding. It is preferable, in the catalyst composed of copper/chromium/barium (or manganese) which is obtained by any of the above procedures (1) and (2), that the Cu : Cr : Mn or Ba ratio by weight be 20 to 85 : 15 to 75 : 1 to 15 expressed in terms of CuO : Cr 2 O 3 : MnO 2 or BaO by weight. The catalyst may be of any form including powder and tablet, and is to be used in the form optimum for the mode of usage. Prior to use for the reaction, the catalyst is subjected to a suitable activation treatment such as a treatment at about 200°C in an atmosphere of hydrogen. In the catalytically hydrogenating reaction in the third step, the suitable amount of hydrogen to be used therein is at least 4 moles, preferably 6 to 60 moles per one mole of methylsuccinic acid ester. Although the reaction can be put into practice without using a solvent, it is preferable to use a solvent. There is no limitation to a solvent to be used provided that it does not exert adverse effect on the reaction and mention is made of alcohols, hydrocarbons and the like. The solvent may be used alone or in combination with at least one different solvent. 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is formed by the aforestated catalytic hydrogenating reaction, but is accompanied with the by-production of an alcohol. Thus, the reaction liquid after the completion of the catalytically hydrogenating reaction is usually subjected to a distillation treatment to separate the 3-methyltetrahydrofuran as the objective product from the by-produced alcohol. The alcohol thus separated can be circulated, as desired, for use as a starting raw material in the second step. Next, some description will be given of the second aspect of the present invnetion. The following are the reaction formulae of the whole steps for the second aspect of the present invention. In the step (a), that is, the first step in the second aspect of the invention, methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate is produced from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate in the same manner as in the step (a) of the first aspect of the invention. In the second step, that is, the step (b'), methyl 3-cyanosiobutyrate which has been prepared in the aforesaid first step is hydrated to produce methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate. The hydrating reaction is put into practice by catalytically reacting the mixture of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate and water in the presence of a catalyst. As applicable catalyst, mention is made of a catalyst which is effective for hydrating reaction of nitriles, including a strong acid such as sulfuric acid. Judging from the economical view point including the treatment of the used acid, a metal catalyst or a metal oxide catalyst etc. is preferable. Specific examples of effective catalyst include manganese, copper, nickel and an oxide thereof, among which manganese oxide is particularly preferable. The ratio by weight of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate to water is 2 : 98 to 98 : 2 as a proper range. In this system, methyl methacrylate which is the starting raw material for methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate, an alcohol, a ketone such as acetone or the like can be allowed to coexist as a solvent. In the case where manganese oxide is used as the catalyst, the reaction temperature is in the range of preferably 20 to 150°C, particularly preferably 30 to 100°C. The reaction time is preferably 0.3 to 6 hours, particularly preferably 0.5 to 4 hours. The reaction can be put into practice by any of batchwise system and continuous system. By distilling away the water and the solvent from the resultant reaction liquid through a conventional method, methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate is obtained. In the third step, that is, the step (b"), the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate which has been prepared in the aforesaid second step is reacted with a formic acid ester to produce a methylsuccinic acid ester and formamide. The reaction can be put into practice by heating the mixture of the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate and the formic acid ester even in the absence of a catalyst, but it is effectively carried out in the presence of a solvent and a catalyst. As a formic acid ester, methyl formate is preferably used and in this case, methanol and carbon monoxide can be used in place of methyl formate. The reaction belongs to equilibrium reactions, and the yield of the methylsuccinic acid ester depends on the molar ratio of the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate to the formic acid ester. The molar ratio of the formic acid ester/methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate is preferably 1 to 10, particularly preferably 2 to 6. The use of a solvent is effective in increasing the solubility of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate and enhancing the selectivity of the reaction. The solvent to be used is preferably the alcohol which corresponds to the ester group of the formic acid ester. The molar feed ratio of the alcohol to the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate is preferably 1 to 10, particularly preferably 2 to 6. As a catalyst for the aforesaid reaction, an alcoholate of an alkali metal, an oxide of an alkaline earth metal and a strongly basic ion exchange resin are extremely excellent. The alcoholate of an alkali metal is synthesized from an alkali metal such as lithium, sodium and potassium and a lower alcohol, and is exemplified by the methylate, ethylate, butylate, etc. of any of sodium and potassium. The oxide of an alkaline earth metal is exemplified by magnesium oxide, calcium oxide and barium oxide. In the case where the alcoholate of an alkali metal, the oxide of an alkaline earth metal or the strongly basic ion exchange resin is used as the catalyst, suitable reaction conditions include a reaction temperature of 20 to 80°C, a reaction time of 0.5 to 6 hours and an amount of the catalyst to be used being 0.001 to 0.3 mole per one mole of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate. The reaction product in this step can be separated and recovered by the procedure such as distillation, and unreacted materials can be returned to the starting raw material system. Lastly, in the step (c), that is, the fourth step, the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran is produced by catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been prepared in the preceding third step, in the same manner as in the step (c) of the first aspect of the invention. The reaction liquid after the completion of the catalytically hydrogenating reaction is usually subjected to a distillation treatment to separate the 3-methyltetrahydrofuran as the objective product from the by-produced alcohol in the same manner as in the first aspect of the invention. In the second aspect of the present invention, the formamide which is formed in the third step can be treated in the following way, as desired, and circulated for use as a starting raw material. There is available a method in which the formamide is dehydrated by a publicly known method to produce prussic acid, the resultant prussic acid is used as a starting raw material in-the first step, and the dehydration reaction is put into practice at a temperature of about 350 to 600°C, usually in gas phase. There is available another method in which the formamide is decomposed into ammonia and carbon monoxide by a publicly known method, and the decomposed products are utilized. The decomposing reaction of formamide into ammonia and carbon monoxide is carried out by heating formamide in gas phase or liquid phase in the absence of a catalyst or in the presence of a basic catalyst. It is preferable in the above method to carry out the decomposition at 300°C or lower in order to suppress the by-production of prussic acid. Examples of effective basic catalysts include activated carbon, sodium hydroxide, sodium cyanide and metal alcoholate. As a suitable example of the decomposing reaction, mention is made of that in which formamide is heated to about 120 to 220°C in liquid phase in the presence of a catalyst under stirring, while the resultant gas mixture is taken out from the reaction system. Ammonia and carbon monoxide each being highly pure are recovered by separating ammonia from the resultant gas mixture of ammonia and carbon monoxide through cooling under pressure or absorption. The ammonia thus recovered can be made into prussic acid by an industrially publicly know process and circulated for use in the first step of the present invention. As a process for producing prussic acid from the recovered ammonia, mention is preferrably made of an ammoxidation process in which a hydrocarbon is subjected to ammoxidation by the use of ammonia and air. As the ammoxidation process, there are available Andrussow process in the case of using methane, Shawinnigen process in the case of using a higher alkane and the like processes. In addition, Degussa process or the like is known as a process for producing prussic acid in the absence of oxygen. It is possible to feed the recovered ammonia to a plant for producing acrylonitrile by the ammoxidation of propylene according to Sohio process to obtain prussic acid as the by-product. On the other hand, the carbon monoxide as such may be circulated for use through the third step together with methanol, or be reacted with methanol to carbonylate methanol into methyl formate and to circulate the resultant methyl formate for use through the third step. The process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran according to any of the first and second aspects of the present invention makes it possible to produce 3-methyltetrahydrofuran with extremely high selectivity in each of the steps in an industrially advantageous manner from inexpensive starting raw materials. The 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which is produced by the process according to the present invention is useful, for example, as a comonomer for polyether glycol to be used as a starting raw material for spandex® fibers. In the following, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to reference examples and (working) examples. Example 1 (1) First step (production of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate): A 500 milliliter (hereinafter abbreviated to "mL") flask equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer and two dropping funnels was charged with 203g of N-methylpyrrolidone and 1.35g of potassium cyanide, and to the content in the flask were added dropwise 40g of prussic acid and 163g of methyl methacrylate over a period of 4 hours, while the content was maintained at a temperature of 120°C. After the completion of the dropwise addition, the content was maintained at 120°C for 2 hours to complete the reaction. As a result, methyl cyanoisobutyrate was formed at a conversion of methyl methacrylate (MMA) of 88.3% and at a selectivity of 98.1% based on the reacted MMA. Subsequently the flask was connected to a reduced pressure system to recover unreacted MMA and then, 165g of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate was obtained. The recovery of 3-cyanoisobutyrate inclusive of an intermediate fraction was quantitative. (2) Second step (hydration and esterification of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate) A 200 mL flask equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer and a dropping funnel was charged with 5.05g of 97% by weight concentration of sulfuric acid and 0.81g of water, and to the content in the flask were added dropwise 6.35g of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which had been obtained in the preceding item (1) over a period of about 20 minutes, while the content was maintained at a temperature of 70°C. Thereafter, the content was allowed to stand at 70°C for 2 hours to proceed with hydrolysis reaction. The resultant reaction liquid in an amount of 100 mL was transferred in a shaking type autoclave together with methanol in an amount by weight of 4 times that of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate to proceed with esterification at 120°C for 6 hours, while the pressure in the autoclave was about 735.5 kPa gauge pressure (7.5 kg/cm 2 G). Thus, dimethyl methylsuccinate was obtained at a yield of 94.2 mol% based on the fed methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate, and the by-production of dimethyl ether was observed at 5 mol% based on the dimethyl methylsuccinate thus formed. (3) Third step (hydrogenation of dimethyl methylsuccinate) A catalyst available on the market under the trademark G99C produced by Nissan Girdler Co., Ltd. comprising by weight, 36% of CuO, 32% of Cr 2 O 3 , 2.4% of MnO 2 and 2.2% of BaO in the form of pellet {3.175 mm by 3.175 mm (1/4 inch by 1/4 inch) in size} was divided into 1/8 in size, packed in a tubular reactor with 15 mm inside diameter and 300 mm length (the catalyst bed height being 97 mm) in an amount of 20.0g, and subjected to an activating treatment by the ordinary hydrogenating reduction comprising the steps of treating the catalyst at 150°C for 3 hours in a stream of nitrogen containing one % by volume of hydrogen; then treating the same at 180°C overnight in a stream of nitrogen containing 2% by volume of hydrogen; then treating the same at 200°C for 3 hours in a stream of nitrogen containing 10% by volume of hydrogen; and finally treating the same at 250°C for 30 minutes in a stream of nitrogen containing 10% by volume of hydrogen. The catalyst thus activated was used for proceeding with a reaction under the reaction conditions including a reaction temperature of 230°C and a reaction pressure of 15.69 MPa gauge pressure (160 kg/cm 2 G). To the reactor were fed, at the top thereof, hydrogen at a rate of 10 liters (L)/hour expressed in terms of the rate at the outlet; and 30% concentration by weight solution of the dimethyl methylsuccinate in pseudocumene (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) which had been obtained in the preceding item (2) at a rate of 5 g/hour, that is, 0.075 hr -1 WHSV (weight hourly space velocity; a quotient obtained when the feed rate by weight of the starting raw material is divided by the weight of the catalyst). As a result of analysis for the reaction liquid thus obtained, 3-methyltetrahydrofuran was obtained at a yield of 95.5% based on the dimethyl methylsuccinate which was fed, while unreacted dimethyl methylsuccinate was not observed. Example 2 The procedure in Example 1 was repeated to proceed with reaction except that in the second step of esterification, methanol in an amount by weight of 2.6 times that of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate was intermittantly added dropwise to the content in the flask at 100°C at atmospheric pressure under the reflux of methanol over a period of 5 hours; then at least 90% of water which was formed by the by-production of ether was removed outside the reaction system together with methanol; and additional methanol in an amount of 2.6 times that of the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate was intermittantly added dropwise to the content in the flask at 100°C at atmospheric pressure under the reflux of methanol over a period of 5 hours. As a result, dimethyl methylsuccinate was obtained at a yield of 97.6 mol% based on the fed methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate, and by-production of dimethyl ether was at most 1 mol% based on the dimethyl methylsuccinate thus formed. Example 3 (1) First step (production of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and MMA): In the same manner as in Example 1 (1), methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate was produced at a conversion of 88.3% at a selectivity of 98.1%. (2) Second step (production of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate by the hydration of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate) Preparation of catalyst: A one L flask equipped with a stirrer, a reflux cooler and a thermometer was charged with 63.2g of potassium permanganate and 500g of water with heating to 70°C under stirring. To the resultant mixture were added 240g of aqueous solution containing 59.0g of manganese sulfate and 40g of 15% by weight concentration of sulfuric acid to proceed with the reaction at 70°C for 3 hours. After the content in the flask was cooled, the resulting precipitate was filtered and the precipitated cake was washed with water and dried overnight at 60°C. Thus, 74g of activated manganese dioxide was obtained and used for the reaction described hereunder. Hydration reaction: A 500 mL flask equipped with a stirrer, a thermometer and a dropping funnel was charged with 80g of the methyl cyanoisobutyrate which had been obtained in the preceding item (1), 250g of water, 58g of acetone and 50g of the catalyst thus obtained to proceed with hydration reaction for 3.5 hours, while the temperature of the content in the flask was maintained at 80°C. The resultant reaction mixture was cooled and then, the catalyst was filtered away. As a result of analysis for the filtrate thus obtained, methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate was obtained at a conversion of 90.7% based on methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate, and at a selectivity of 98% based on the reacted methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure and recrystallized from acetone. As a result, 73g of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate having a purity of at least 99.5% was obtained. (3) Third step (production of dimethyl methylsuccinate and formamide from methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate and methyl formate): A one L stainless steel-made autoclave equipped with a stirrer was charged with 72.5g of the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate which had been obtained in the preceding item (2), 180g of methyl formate, 96g of methanol and 1.1g of sodium methylate to proceed with heating reaction at 60°C for 2 hours. The reaction product was cooled and then analyzed. As a result, the conversion of the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate was 83.2% and, there were obtained dimethyl methylsuccinate at a selectivity of 99.8% based on the reacted methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate, and formamide at a selectivity of 98.4% based on the same. The sodium methylate in the reaction liquid was neutralized with sulfuric acid, and subsequently the reaction liquid was distilled by a conventional method. As a result, methyl formate and methanol were recovered and there were obtained 60g of dimethyl methylsuccinate with at least 99% purity and 16g of formamide with 99% purity. The recovery of these substances inclusive of an intermediate fraction was quantitative, respectively. (4) Fourth step (hydrogenation of dimethyl methylsuccinate) In the same manner as in Example 1 (3), dimethyl methylsuccinate was hydrogenated with the result that 3-methyltetrahydrofuran was obtained at a yield of 95.5% based on the fed dimethyl methylsuccinate. Reference Example 1 (production of prussic acid by the dehydration of formamide) Preparation of catalyst: To 51.5g of manganese carbonate was added a solution of 0.88g of sodium carbonate in 30g of water, and then the resulting mixture was kneaded for one hour. The kneaded product was dried at 110°C for 15 hours, calcined at 450°C for 5 hours in a stream of nitrogen containing 10% by volume of hydrogen and subsequently crushed to afford 30g of crushed manganese oxide regulated to 10 to 20 mesh. Reaction: Manganese oxide in an amout of 3.0g which had been obtained in the above-mentioned manner was packed in a quartz-made tubular reactor with 10 mm inside diameter and 300 mm length equipped with a sheath tube for thermometer to form a catalyst bed, and subsequently the catalyst was heated so as to maintain the temperature of the lower portion of the resulting catalyst bed at 400°C. Quartz-made Rasching rings of 3 X 3 mm in size were packed in the reactor 150 mm above the catalyst bed and heated at 100 to 400°C to constitute the vaporizing portion of formamide. While the pressure in the reactor is maintained at a vacuum degree of 13.332 kPa (100 mmHg), formamide and air were introduced in the reactor through the top of the reactor at feed rates of 10 g/hr and 240 mL/hr, respectively. After an elapse of 5 hours from the start of the reaction, the reaction gas was sampled for one hour. The resultant prussic acid was captured and collected by absorbing it in water and aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, and was determined by the titration with silver nitrate solution. Determinations were made of ammonia dissolved in water by ion chromatography and of unreacted formamide by gas chromatography. As a result, the conversion of the formamide was 99.5% and there were obtained prussic acid at a yield of 95.2% and ammonia at a yield of 4.3%. Reference Example 2 (decomposition of formamide into ammonia and carbon monoxide) A 300 mL four-necked round bottom flask equipped with a stirrer and a reflux cooler was charged with 180g of formamide and one g of calcium oxide as a catalyst, which were heated to 150°C by means of a mantle heater under stirring. The mist contained in the generated gas was condensed in a brine reflux cooler. The resultant ammonia gas was collected by absorbing it in aqueous solution of sulfuric acid and determined by neutralization titration. The resultant carbon monoxide was determined with a gas meter and gas chromatography. As a result, there were obtained ammonia at a yield of 94% and carbon monoxide at a yield of 89%. Example 4 The procedure in Example 3 (3) was repeated except that ethyl formate was used in place of methyl formate. As a result, the conversion of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate was 83.7% and there were obtained methylsuccinic acid ethyl methyl ester at a selectivity of 99.8% and formamide at a selectivity of 98.6%, each based on the reacted methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate. Example 5 The procedure in Example 3 (3) was repeated to proceed with heating stirring reaction except that in place of 180g of methyl formate and 96g of methanol, 200g of methanol was charged in the autoclave and carbon monoxide was pressurized into the autoclave so as to maintain the internal pressure at 3.922 MPa gauge pressure (40 kg/cm 2 G). After the temperature of the content in the autoclave reached 60°C, carbon monoxide was fed in the autoclave so as to maintain the internal pressure at 3.922 MPa gauge pressure (40 kg/cm 2 G) to proceed with the reaction for 3 hours. Subsequently, the content therein was cooled, internal pressure was gradually lowered to atmospheric pressure, and the reaction product was taken out. As a result of analysis therefor, the conversion of methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate was 81.4% and there were obtained dimethyl methylsuccinate at a selectivity of 95.7% and formamide at a selectivity of 94.4%, each based on the reacted methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate.

Claims: A process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which comprises the first step of (a) producing methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate; the second step of (b) reacting the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which has been produced in the first step with water and sulfuric acid and subsequently reacting the resultant reaction product with an alcohol to produce a methylsuccinic acid ester; and the third step of (c) catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been produced in the second step to produce the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. The process according to Claim 1 wherein the alcohol is intermittantly or continuously supplied in a molar amount of 2 to 6 times that of methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate to proceed with esterifying reaction in the second step. The process according to Claim 1 wherein the alcohol to be used in the second step is methanol. A process for producing 3-methyltetrahydrofuran which comprises the first step of (a) producing methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate from prussic acid and methyl methacrylate; the second step of (b') hydrating the methyl 3-cyanoisobutyrate which has been produced in the first step to produce methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate; the third step of (b") producing a methylsuccinic acid ester and formamide from the methyl 3-carbamoylisobutyrate which has been produced in the second step and a formic acid ester; and the fourth step of (c) catalytically hydrogenating the methylsuccinic acid ester which has been produced in the third step to produce the objective 3-methyltetrahydrofuran. The process according to Claim 4 wherein the formic acid ester to be used in the third step is methyl formate. The process according to Claim 5 wherein methanol and carbon monoxide are used in place of methyl formate in the third step. The process according to Claim 4 wherein the prussic acid to be used in the first step is produced by dehydrating the formamide which is formed in the third step. The process according to Claim 4 wherein the prussic acid to be used in the first step is produced by decomposing the formamide which is formed in the third step into the mixed gas of ammonia and carbon monoxide and subjecting a hydrocarbon to ammoxidation by the use of air and ammonia which is recovered from said mixed gas. The process according to Claim 5 wherein the methyl formate to be used in the third step is produced by decomposing the formamide which is formed in the third step into the mixed gas of ammonia and carbon monoxide and carbonylating methanol by the use of carbon monoxide which is recovered from said mixed gas. The process according to Claim 5 wherein in place of methyl formate, methanol is used along with the carbon monoxide which is produced by decomposing the formamide that is formed in the third step into the mixed gas of ammonia and carbon monoxide.

Inventors: ABE TAKAFUMI, NITOBE HIROYUKI, TAKEMOTO MASAKI, TANAKA FUMIO, ABE, TAKAFUMI, NITOBE, HIROYUKI, TAKEMOTO, MASAKI, TANAKA, FUMIO, ABE, TAKAFUMI, C/O MITSUBISHI GAS CHEM. CO., INC., NITOBE, HIROYUKI, C/O MITSUBISHI GAS CHEM. CO, INC, TAKEMOTO, MASAKI, C/O MITSUBISHI GAS CHEM. CO, INC, TANAKA, FUMIO, C/O MITSUBISHI GAS CHEM. CO., INC.
Applicants: MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL CO, MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: C07D307
IPC codes: C07D307