the above respective analysis results it was confirmed that the product was u03b1 11 cyanoundecanoly u03b3 butyrolactone with respect to 3 44 g 40 0 millimole of u03b3 butyrolactone and 7 72 g 40 0 millimole of 28 wt sodium methylate methanol solution the amounts shown in table 1 of methyl 11 cyanoundecanate were charged in each example and heated under stirring when the evaporation of methanol from the reaction system started the degree of reduced pressure of the reaction system was controlled to 610 to 630 torr and then evaporation of methanol was continued until the internal temperature became 105 to 110 u00b0 c for 2 hours after the completion of the reaction the system was cooled and made acidic by use of 43 ml of 1n hcl followed by extraction once from 100 ml of methylene chloride and two times from 20 ml of methylene chloride the product in the methylene chloride solution u03b1 11 cyanoundecanoly u03b3 butyrolactone and the unreacted methyl 11 cyanoundecanate were quantified with use of a gas chromatography according to the internal standard method the results are shown in table 1 table 1__________________________________________________________________________charged amount of u03b1 11 cyanoundecanoly methyl 11 cyano u03b3 butyrolactone amount of unreactedexampleundecanate produced amount yield methyl 11 cyanoundecanateno g millimole g millimole sup 1 g millimole __________________________________________________________________________2 6 02 26 7 5 50 19 7 83 0 65 2 9 3 9 01 40 0 8 16 29 2 73 2 19 9 7 4 18 03 80 0 9 39 33 6 84.