Patent ID: 6946570

Claim:
A process for the production of a lower aliphatic ester said process comprising reacting a lower olefin with a saturated lower aliphatic monocarboxylic acid in the vapor phase in the presence of a heteropolyacid catalyst wherein the reaction is carried out in a plurality of reactors set up in series such that gases exiting from a first reactor are fed as a feed gas to a second reactor and those exiting from the second reactor are fed as a feed gas to a third reactor and so on for the subsequent reactors, and wherein an aliquot of the reactant monocarboxylic acid is introduced as a liquid into the feed gas to the second and subsequent reactors so as to maintain the olefin to monocarboxylic acid ratio in the feed gas to each of the second and subsequent reactors within a range of 10:1 to 16:1.