Patent ID: 8053594

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a diester compound the method comprising: (a) forming an imide compound having the formula (I): by hydrolysis of a dinitrile compound having the formula (III): NC—R 1 —CN (III) wherein the hydrolysis of the dinitrile compound is carried out in the vapor phase in the presence of a solid catalyst, in which R 1 is a linear or branched divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and (b) reacting the imide compound with an alcohol having the following general formula (II): R 2 —OH (II) in which R 2 is a linear or branched, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic or arylalkyl hydrocarbon radical having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which can contain heteroatom(s).