Method for producing 2-hydroxyester compound

A method for producing a 2-hydroxyester compound represented by the general formula (1) (provided that ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyrate is excluded), which comprises:

• the first step for introducing an acid into a mixture of a cyanohydrin compound represented by the general formula (2), an alcohol, an organic solvent and water to carry out a reaction in a single stage and without isolating an intermediate;
• the second step for removing an alcohol from a reaction solution obtained in the first step;
• the third step for separating a residual reaction solution obtained in the second step to an organic solvent layer and an aqueous layer by the addition of water to the residual reaction solution;
• and
• the fourth step for recovering a 2-hydroxyester compound from the organic solvent layer obtained in the third step;
• (Chemical formula 3)
• R1—CH(OH)—COOR2 (1)
• R1—CH(OH)(CN) (2)
• wherein, R1 is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may contain an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a nitrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alicyclic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 12 carbon atoms, which may contain an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a nitrogen atom, and a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group or aralkyl group having 3 to 14 carbon atoms, which may contain an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a nitrogen atom;
• and R2 is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may contain an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a nitrogen atom.