Process for preparing isosorbide di(meth)acrylate

A process for preparing an isosorbide di(meth)acrylate by transesterifying an alkyl (meth)acrylate with isosorbide, comprising:

• (i) reacting an alkyl (meth)acrylate with isosorbide in the presence of a catalyst comprising titanium(IV) or zirconium(IV) and a stabilizer in the presence of an azeotroping agent which forms an azeotrope with alcohol bound in the alkyl (meth)acrylate,
• (ii) continuously distilling off the azeotrope of azeotroping agent and alcohol, wherein (i) and (ii) are conducted simultaneously until isosorbide has been essentially fully converted, to obtain a product mixture comprising an isosorbide (meth)acrylate,
• (iii) adding water to the product mixture comprising the isosorbide (meth)acrylate obtained in (ii) and removing a hydrolyzate of the catalyst comprising titanium(IV) or zirconium (IV),
• (iv) distilling unconverted alkyl (meth)acrylate and azeotroping agent out of the product mixture comprising the isosorbide (meth)acrylate, and
• (v) distilling water out of the product mixture comprising the isosorbide (meth)acrylate,
• wherein (iv) can be conducted before (iii), and (iv) and (v) can be conducted in one distillation operation.