A pyrrolidone-sulfuric acid ionic liquid catalyst is synthesized through one-step method,and characterized by means of infrared spectrum,liquid chromatography,thermogravimetric analysis,proton nuclear magnetic resonance and other measurements.The catalytic performance of the ionic liquid for the esterification reaction between methanol and mercaptopropionic acid is studied,and compared with that of traditional concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst.The results show that the obtained substance is[Hnhp]HSO4 ionic liquid with a purity of 96%.The reaction using[Hnhp]HSO4 ionic liquid as the catalyst spends shorter time than that using the concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst while delivers 5%higher product yield.The performance of[Hnhp]HSO4 ionic liquid does not decline after it has been tested for 10 times repeatedly,and the product yield remains around 85%.