Patent ID: 7385092

Claim:
A process for preparing a vicinal alkanediol or an alkanetriol comprising a1) reacting at least one monoolefin comprising 4 to 20 carbon atoms with hydrogen peroxide and formic acid in the presence of water to form a mixture or a2) reacting at least one monoolefin alcohol comprising 4 to 20 carbon atoms first with formic acid, and then reacting the product formed thereby with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of water to form a mixture, b) removing, by distillation, the water and formic acid from the mixture obtained in a1) or a2), c) reacting the mixture obtained from b) with at least one aliphatic C 1 -C 4 -alcohol in the presence of at least one arylsulfonic acid, at least one alkysulfonic acid, or a combination thereof to form the vicinal alkanediol or the alkanetriol and at least one formic ester by-product, wherein the at least one arylsulfonic acid is of the formula R n Ar—SO 3 H, wherein R may be identical or different and is a linear or branched C 1 - to C 19 -alkyl radical, fluorine or chlorine, Ar is a phenyl, naphthyl, anthryl or phenanthryl radical, and n can be 0, 1, 2 or 3, and wherein the at least one alkylsulfronic acid is a C 6 - to C 16 -alkylsulfonic acid; and d) optionally removing, by distillation, the at least one formic ester by-product formed together with any residual at least one aliphatic C 1 -C 4 -alcohol to isolate the vicinal alkanediol or the alkanetriol.