Patent ID: 7973177

Claim:
A method of producing a pyrrolidinone comprising: providing an initial solution into a first reactor, the solution comprising ammonia and comprising an initial compound having formula (A); where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of branched and un-branched hydrocarbons having from 1 to 10 carbons, the initial solution having a first ratio of ammonia to the initial compound; adjusting the ratio of ammonia to produce a solution having a second ratio of ammonia relative to the initial compound of from 1:1 to 1.5:1; alkylating and cyclizing the initial compound to form a compound having the formula (B) performing a purification step to produce a purified form of compound (B); providing the purified form of compound (B) to a second reactor; and in the presence of a catalyst, hydrogenating the purified compound (B) to produce a pyrrolidinone compound having formula (C) where R 2 comprises an alkyl, a substituted alkyl group, or an aromatic group.