Patent ID: 6998026

Claim:
A process for the production of a tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (meth)acrylate by reacting (meth)acrylic acid with an olefin of the formula: wherein R 1 and R 2 , which are identical or different, are methyl or ethyl and R 3 is H, methyl or ethyl, in the homogeneous phase in the presence of an acidic catalyst, thereby obtaining a reaction mixture containing tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (rneth)acrylate produced, and then isolating the tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (meth)acrylate by a distillation process comprising: distilling said reaction mixture in a first stage, thereby obtaining a distillate containing tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (meth)acrylate which is isolated from the remaining components of the distillate in an amount of 40 to 95% by wt of the total tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (meth)acrylate produced and obtaining a residue; and distilling from 10 to 100% by wt of said residue in a second stage, thereby obtaining a distillate of the remainder of the tert-C 4 –C 8 -alkyl (meth)acrylate and much of the unconverted (meth)acrylic acid in said reaction mixture and a residue, the catalyst of the esterification process being separated by the two stage distillation as a residue material.