Patent ID: 7268251

Claim:
A process for preparation of (meth)acrylate IV by transesterification of a (meth) acrylate I with an alcohol R 2 OH which has at least one carbon atom more than the alcohol component (R 1 O—) in the (meth)acrylate I to be transesterified, as follows: wherein R is H or CH 3 , and R 1 is a straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aromatic, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic group, and may contain hetero atoms or aromatic substituents; and R 2 is a straight-chain or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic group, which may contain hetero atoms and may contain aromatic substituents; or R 2 is a saturated or unsaturated cycloaliphatic group or aromatic group and may contain aromatic substituents; in the presence of a catalyst or catalyst mixture, wherein the lower alkanol R 1 OH liberated in the transesterification is separated off together with a part of the lower (meth)acrylate I and is fed, without an additional purification step, into a plant for the production and/or working-up of the (meth)acrylate I and, from the discharge of the transesterification reaction, either first the major amount of the (meth)acrylate I is separated off and is then separated by distillation from the catalyst used (catalyst removal), or is first separated by distillation from the catalyst used (catalyst removal) and then the major amount of the (meth)acrylate I is separated off and then components having a lower boiling point than the (meth)acrylate IV are substantially separated from the resulting mixture by distillation (low boiler removal) and then the (meth)acrylate IV is purified by distillation (distillative purification).