Abstract: In a process and an apparatus for the continuous preparation of alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid by reacting (meth)acrylic acid and monohydric alkanols of 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the homogeneous, liquid, solvent-free phase at elevated temperatures and in the presence of an acidic esterification catalyst, by feeding the (meth)acrylic acid, the alkanol and the acid catalyst continuously to a reaction zone, the reaction zone consists of a cascade of at least two reaction regions connected in series, and the discharge stream of one reaction region forms a feed stream of a downstream reaction region. The cascade may have from two to four reaction regions is spatially separated from one another.

Abstract: In a process and an apparatus for the continuous preparation of alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid by reacting (meth)acrylic acid and monohydric alkanols of 1 to 8 carbon atoms in the homogeneous, liquid, solvent-free phase at elevated temperatures and in the presence of an acidic esterification catalyst, by feeding the (meth)acrylic acid, the alkanol and the acid catalyst continuously to a reaction zone, the reaction zone consists of a cascade of at least two reaction regions connected in series, and the discharge stream of one reaction region forms a feed stream of a downstream reaction region. The cascade may have from two to four reaction regions spatially separated from one another.

Abstract: The continuous esterification of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 -alkanol with (meth)acrylic acid in a molar ratio of from 1:1 to 2:1 in the presence of proton-donating catalysts in a homogeneous, liquid, solvent-free phase, in which the water of reaction and resulting alkyl (meth)acrylate are separated off continuously as part of an aqueous azeotropic mixture via the top of a rectification zone attached to the reaction zone, at a top pressure of from 0.1 to 1 atm, and worked up to give pure (meth)acrylate, is carried out by a process wherein the reaction temperature is from 100.degree. to 150.degree. C., the residence time is from 1 to 5 hours and from 5 to 20% by weight, based on the amount of reaction mixture, of sulfuric acid or an equimolar amount, based on such an amount of sulfuric acid, of an organic sulfonic acid is added as a protic acid catalyst to the reaction mixture present in the reaction zone.