Patent ID: 6855731

Claim:
A liquid phase process for preparing a reaction product comprising 5-methyl-N-aryl-2-pyrrolidone (III), 5-methyl-N-cycloalkyl-2-pyrrolidone (IV), or a mixture thereof, the process comprising the step of contacting a levulinic acid ester (I) with an aryl nitro compound (II) in the presence of hydrogen gas and a catalyst, the catalyst being optionally supported on a catalyst support, and, said contacting is performed in the presence of a solvent; wherein R 1 is an aromatic group having from 6 to 30 carbons, R 2 is hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 18 unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, unsubstituted or substituted alkenyl, unsubstituted or substituted alkynyl, unsubstituted or substituted cycloalkyl, unsubstituted or substituted cycloalkyl containing at least one heteroatom, unsubstituted or substituted aryl, and unsubstituted or substituted heteroaryl, and R 3 is a fully or partially reduced derivative of R 1 .