Studies in transesterification VI. Ion-exchange catalysis

The preparation of methacrylate esters by transesterification with ion-exchange resins as acidic catalysts and n-butanol as the reactant alcohol is described. Conventional cellular cation exchangers have been used together with a resin having a solid centre and a reactive outer surface. The latter resin is of lower capacity but the reaction rate compares favourably with that of conventional resins while its performance on repeated use is vastly superior.