2-cyanoacrylic esters

A 2-cyanoacrylic ester of the formula (I):

• wherein one of R.sup.1 or R.sup.2 is hydrogen and the other is a radical of the formula (III):
• ##STR78## wherein R.sup.3 is hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 -alkyl;
• r is 0 or 1;
• and R.sup.4 to R.sup.8 are each, independently of one another, hydrogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -alkyl, chlorine, bromine, cyano, nitro, amino, mono-(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl)amino, di(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl)amino, hydroxyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -acyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -acyloxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 -alkoxycarbonyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -cycloalkyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 -cycloalkoxycarbonyl;
• n is from 2 to 10;
• and
• X is, when n is 2, a radical of the formula (II):
• ##STR79## wherein m is from 2 to 8;
• and X is, when n>2, a radical of an n-hydric aliphatic cycloaliphatic polyol having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, said cycloaliphatic radical optionally containing one or two heteroatoms, and said n-hydric aliphatic radical optionally being interrupted by up to eight non-adjacent oxygen atoms, sulfur atoms, imino or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkylimino groups.