Patent ID: 7902383

Claim:
A method for producing a mercapto lactone, mercapto thiolactone or mercapto lactam represented by Formula (1): wherein X represents any structure of —O—, —S—, —NH—, and —NR 1 —; R 1 represents any of an alkyl group, alkoxy group and alkoxyalkyl group each having 1 to 6 carbon atoms; and Z 1 represents an alkylene group having one mercapto group and the mercapto group is directly bound to the carbon atom adjacent to the carbonyl carbon in the compound represented by Formula (1), the method comprising reacting a metal sulfide or a metal hydrosulfide with a compound represented by Formula (2) in the presence of a solvent at a pH of 7.0 to 11.0: wherein X is as defined in Formula (1); and Z 2 represents an alkylene group having one halogen group and the halogen group is directly bound to the carbon atom adjacent to the carbonyl carbon in the compound represented by Formula (2).