Method for preparing 2-alkenyl-2-oxazolines

Abstract From the Canadian patent

2-Alkenyl-2-oxazolines are prepared by (A) reacting an anhydrous 2-alkyl-2-oxazoline with formaldehyde in a molar ratio of at least 1.5 moles of oxazoline per mole of formaldehyde to form 2-(.alpha.-hydroxymethylalkyl)-2- -oxazoline (I), (B) recovering (I) from the reaction product and (C) reacting (I) with a hydroxide of an alkali or alkaline earth metal. The process of step (A) is conducted at 90°-115°C and the process of step (C) is conducted at 95°-200°C. The present process results in higher yields of desired product than the prior art processes that employed either an excess of formaldehyde or equimolar quantities of formaldehyde and 2-alkyl-2-oxazoline in step (A).