Patent ID: 6903166

Claim:
A process for the manufacture of glycidylester compositions having a hydrolyzable chlorine content of at most 6000 mg/kg, and an epoxy group content above 90% of the theoretical value comprising the steps of: (a) reacting (i) at least one compound A, comprising an anhydride having the formula wherein R and R′ each independently represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms connected to the cyclohexane ring or together forms a cyclohexane ring, or a diacid containing one secondary and one tertiary acid group; (ii) at least one compound B comprising a di-primary or di-secondary hydroxyl compound containing two aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydroxyl groups and at least three carbon atoms between the two hydroxyl groups, wherein the oxygen content is at most 35 wt % and there are no beta-hydrogen atoms; (iii) at least one compound C, comprising a di-secondary carboxylic acid or anhydride; and (iv) a monoepoxide D, wherein monoepoxide D is a mono-glycidyl ester of an alpha-alpha-branched carboxylic acid containing from 5 to 19 carbon atoms; at a molar ratio of the components A:B:C of 2:X:Y, and Y ranges from greater than 0 to 3, wherein X is Y+1, at a temperature effective to react essentially all the hydroxyl groups as initially present and formed in the reaction mixture, thereby producing a carboxyl functional polyester having an acid value of less than 280 mgKOH/gram of polyester and containing substantially no diacid monomers having acid value of greater than 280 mgKOH/gram of polyester; and (b) reacting said carboxyl functional polyester from step (a) with an excess of epihalohydrin in the presence of a base and optionally a catalyst, at a temperature effective to react essentially all the carboxylic acid groups initially present in the reaction mixture, thereby producing the glycidylester composition.