1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for preparation of citraconic acid and derivatives thereof, and more precisely, to a method for preparation of citraconic acid and derivatives thereof by reacting methylsuccinic acid and derivatives thereof with chlorine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Citraconic acid and derivatives thereof per se are useful compounds, and, in particular, they are of special interest as raw materials for producing itaconic acid since they can easily be converted to itaconic acid.
For the synthesis of citraconic acid, some conventional processes, including the pyrolysis of citric acid (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,805) and the direct oxidation of isoprene (as described in Japanese Pat. Publication No. 38425/72) are known. However, these conventional means involve some problems with respect to formation of by-products, and with respect to yield, purity and cost of the products.
The synthesis of citraconic acid has been investigated in detail to overcome the defects in the prior art, and a method for preparation of citraconic acid and derivatives thereof which does not have the defects described above has been developed.