Abstract: The catalytic activities of four organotin compounds BuSnCl₃(Ⅰ),Bu₂SnCl₂(Ⅱ), Bu₂SnO(Ⅲ) and ClBu₂SnOSnBu₂Cl(Ⅳ) for the reaction of ethyl hexylate with allyl alcohol were reported. A series of acrylic esters was synthesized by catalytic transesterification of methyl acrylate and alcohols with (Ⅳ).It was found that methyl 3-trichlorostannylpropionate readily undergoes an autocatalysed transesterification with alcohols, forming the correspounding propionate analogs.The catalytic activity of organotins for transesterification possibly comes from the coordination of the carbonyl oxygen in ester to the tin atom.

Key words: organotin, catalysis, transesterification, carboxylic ester