Catalytic process for preparing (meth)acrylic esters of N-hydroxyalkylated lactams

A process for preparing a (meth)acrylic ester (F) of an N-hydroxyalkylated lactam, in which a cyclic N-hydroxyalkylated lactam (L)

• in which
• R1 is C1-C5-alkylene, or C2-C20-alkylene interrupted by one or more oxygen and/or sulfur atoms and/or one or more substituted or unsubstituted imino groups and/or by one or more cycloalkyl, —(CO)—, —O(CO)O—, —(NH)(CO)O—, —O(CO)(NH)—, —O(CO)— or —(CO)O— groups, where the radicals mentioned may each be substituted by aryl, alkyl, aryloxy, alkyloxy, heteroatoms and/or heterocycles,
• with the proviso that R1 must not have any atom other than a carbon atom directly adjacent to the lactam carbonyl group, and
• R2 is C1-C20-alkylene, C5-C12-cycloalkylene, C6-C12-arylene, or C2-C20-alkylene interrupted by one or more oxygen and/or sulfur atoms and/or one or more substituted or unsubstituted imino groups and/or by one or more cycloalkyl, —(CO)—, —O(CO)O—, —(NH)(CO)O—, —O(CO)(NH)—, —O(CO)— or —(CO)O— groups, where the radicals mentioned may each be substituted by aryl, alkyl, aryloxy, alkyloxy, heteroatoms and/or heterocycles, or
• R2—OH is a group of the formula —[Xi]k—H,
• in which
• k is from 1 to 50 and
• Xi for each i=1 to k, may each independently be selected from the group of —CH2—CH2—O—, —CH2—CH2—N(H)—, —CH2—CH2—CH2—N(H)—, —CH2—CH(NH2)—, —CH2—CH(NHCHO)—, —CH2—CH(CH3)—O—, —CH(CH3)—CH2—O—, —CH2—C(CH3)2—O—, —C(CH3)2—CH2—O—, —CH2—CH2—CH2—O—, —CH2—CH2—CH2—CH2—O—, —CH2—CHVin—O—, CHVin-CH2—O—, —CH2—CHPh-O— and —CHPh-CH2—O—, in which Ph is phenyl and Vin is vinyl,
• in the presence of at least one metal salt of C1-C10-alkoxides (A), is esterified with (meth)acrylic acid (S) or transesterified with at least one (meth)acrylic ester (D), in which the metal salt of C1-C10-alkoxides (A) used as a catalyst is added in the absence of solvents and completely at the start of the reaction.