Patent ID: 6433217
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: C07D

Abstract:
A process for the manufacture of glycidylesters of &agr;-branched monocarboxylic acids, comprising the steps of:(a) reacting an &agr;-branched monocarboxylic acid with an epihalohydrin, in a 2-20 molar excess, in the presence of water present in an amount ranging from 4 to 13 moles per mole of said monocarboxylic acid, and a water-miscible solvent, and in the presence of a catalyst, in an amount of at most 45 mol % of the molar amount of the monocarboxylic acid, at a temperature in the range of from 30 to 110Â° C., during a period in the range of from 0.5 to 2.5 hr thereby producing a mixture; (b) adding to the mixture alkali metal hydroxide or alkali metal alkanolate up to a molar ratio in the range of from 0.9:1 to 1.2:1 as to the monocarboxylic acid groups and reaction at a temperature of from 0 to 80Â° C. thereby producing a reaction mixture comprising a glycidylester of &agr;-branched monocarboxylic acid, excess epihalohydrin, solvent, water, and alkali metal halide salt; (c) distilling the reaction mixture to remove the excess epihalohydrin and the solvent and water to produce the distilled reaction mixture, and (d) removing the alkali metal halide salt from the distilled reaction mixture thereby producing the purified glycidylesters of &agr;-branched monocarboxylic acid.