Patent ID: 7687599

Claim:
A process for producing poly(ether-esters), comprising (1) reacting a) one or more monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic acid esters containing one or more hydroxyl groups and having the general formula wherein: R represents a monovalent aryl, alkyl, aralkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl radical, R′ represents an at least divalent aryl, alkyl, aralkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl radical, wherein: m=1 and n=1, m≧2 and n=1, or n≧2 and m=1; with b) alkylene oxides; and, optionally, in the presence of c) one or more diols and/or polyols, and, optionally, d) one or more dicarboxylic acid esters; with ring opening to yield the corresponding monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic acid esters with one or more bound polyether chains, and (2) further reacting the products produced in step (1) by (i) transesterifying the products from (1), in which the transesterification is, optionally, performed with addition of (a) further diols or polyols; or, optionally, (b) further diols, and dicarboxylic acids or dicarboxylic acid derivatives; or, optionally, (c) further diols, or polyols and monocarboxylic acid esters, or monocarboxylic acids containing one or more hydroxyl groups, to yield OH-functional poly(ether-esters); (ii) transesterifying the products from (1) with (a) added monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic acid esters, which may contain a free hydroxyl group, to yield poly(ether-esters) having ester terminal groups; or (iii) hydrolysing the products from (1) to yield the corresponding monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic acids with a bound poly(ether) chain, and esterifying these with optionally added (a) monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic acids, which may contain a free hydroxyl group, to yield poly(ether-esters) having carboxylic acid terminal groups.