| abstract |
A process for the alkali hydrolysis of an amido ester to the corresponding amido acid is disclosed. The process is characterized by the steps of: A) hydrolyzing, in an aqueous alkaline media, an amido ester represented by formula (I), wherein R is selected from C1-20 alkyl, R1 is selected from C2-14 alkylene and C2-14 alkenylene, and R2 is selected from hydrogen and alkyl, aryl and aralkyl groups containing 1-10 carbon atoms, and R3 is selected from C1-8 alkyl; with at least one equivalent of an alkali metal salt per mole of amido ester at 20-160 C to produce an amido acid salt; and B) acidifying the amido acid salt with at least 1.0 equivalents of a strong acid, per mole of amido acid salt at, 20-160 C to produce an amido acid. The process gives a high yield and a good selectivity for the amido acid. |