Patent ID: 7348442

Claim:
A process for preparing a reaction product comprising an alpha-methylene lactone of the Formula II, said process comprising reacting a lactone of the Formula I with formaldehyde, wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, and straight or branched C 3 -C 5 alkyl; at a temperature in the range of from about 150° C. to about 450° C. in the presence of a catalyst derived from a hydrotalcite of the formula: (M 2+ 1-x M 3+ x (OH) 2 )(A n− x/n ).yH2O wherein M 2+ is Mg, or a combination of Mg and at least one of Zn, Ni, Co, Fe, and Cu; and M 3+ is Al, or a combination of Al and at least one of Fe and Cr; x is 0.66 to 0.1 and A is CO 3 with n=2, or OH with n=1, by a process comprising heating the hydrotalcite for a time and a temperature sufficient to cause a diminution in the hydrotalcite powder X-ray diffraction pattern peak intensities between 2θ angles of 10 degrees and 70 degrees using CuK α radiation.