Process for making a (meth)acrylamide monomer

1. A method for making a (meth)acrylamide monomer, comprising reacting a (meth)acrylic ester (I) with a mixture of an amino-functional compound (II-a) and an alcohol (IV-a) according to Scheme B-1 in an organic solvent comprising alcohol (IV-a) and in the presence of a transesterification catalyst a product mixture of a (meth)acrylamide monomer (III-a) and one or more (meth)acrylate co-products (V-a):

wherein:

R 1 is H or methyl,

R 2 is an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group

R 4 is a divalent linking group, which may optionally be substituted on one or more carbon atoms or interrupted at one or more points by a heteroatoms,

R 5 and R 6 are each independently alkyl or may be fused to form, with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring structure, which may optionally comprise additional ring member nitrogen atoms and which may optionally substituted on one or more of the ring atoms with alkyl or oxygen,

R 8 is a divalent linking group, typically (C 1 -C 6 )alkylene which may optionally be substituted on one or more carbon atoms or interrupted at one or more points by a heteroatoms, and

R 9 and R 10 are each independently alkyl, or may be fused to form, with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring structure, which may optionally comprise additional ring member nitrogen atoms and which may optionally substituted on one or more of the ring atoms with alkyl or oxygen.

2. A method for making a (meth)acrylamide monomer, comprising reacting a (meth)acrylic ester (I) with a mixture of an amino-functional compound (II-a) and an alcohol (IV-a) according to Scheme B-1 in an organic solvent comprising alcohol (IV-a) and in the presence of a transesterification catalyst to form a product mixture of a (meth)acrylamide monomer (III-a) and one or more (meth)acrylate co-products (V-a):

wherein:

R 1 is H or methyl,

R 2 is methyl,

R 4 and R 8 each independently (C 1 -C 6 )alkylene, and

R 5 , R 6 , R 9 , and R 10 are each independently (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein R 9 =R 5 and R 10 =R 6 .

4. A method for making a (meth)acrylamide monomer, comprising reacting a methacrylate ester (I) with a mixture of an amino-functional compound (I-a-1) and an alcohol (IV-a-1) according to Scheme B-2 in an organic solvent comprising alcohol (IV-a-1) and in the presence of a transesterification catalyst to form a product mixture of a methacrylamide monomer (III-a-1) and a methacrylate co-product (V-a-1):

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent further comprises an organic solvent selected from aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, linear aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, and cyclic hydrocarbons.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the organic solvent further comprises an organic solvent selected from aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, linear aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, and cyclic hydrocarbons.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the organic solvent further comprises an organic solvent selected from aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, linear aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, and cyclic hydrocarbons.