The invention discloses a method for preparing melonal by utilizing
decarboxylation of 2,3-
epoxy-3,7-dimethyl-6-octenic acid and relates to the technical field of
fine chemical engineering. The method comprises the following steps: adding industrial grade
white oil into a reaction kettle, and raising the temperature of the reaction kettle to a decarboxylic
reaction temperature under vacuum conditions; continuously dripping a melonal precursor alpha,beta-
epoxy acid
aqueous solution into the reaction kettle at the same dripping speed, maintaining the temperature and reacting after dripping completion, enabling the melonal produced in the reaction to immediately realize
azeotrope with water, cooling through a condenser
pipe, collecting cooling liquid into a receiving tank, standing the cooling liquid collected in the receiving tank, performing
water diversion so as to obtain the product melonal, and immediately discharging
carbon dioxide produced in the reaction from the top of the condenser
pipe. According to the method disclosed by the invention, the decarboxylic reaction is rapidly carried out in a manner of dripping the raw materials into the
white oil heated to the decarboxylic
reaction temperature, the
heating time of the raw materials is reduced, and side reactions are avoided. Moreover, By virtue of a manner of simultaneously performing decarboxylic reaction and
azeotropic distillation of the product, the melonal produced in the reaction is immediately separated out of the
reaction system.