Patent ID: 7087558

Claim:
A process for reacting a hydrophilic carboxylic reactant selected from the group consisting of compounds of the formula R 3 C(O)(R 4 ) n C(O)OR 5 wherein each of R 3 and R 5 is independently H or an alkyl group of up to 7 carbon atoms, R 4 is a divalent alkylene group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and n is 0 or 1, and acetals, ketals, hemiacetals, hemiketals, cyclic trimers, and esters thereof, with at least one hydrophobic hydrocarbon based molecule selected from the group consisting of (1) olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbons of at least about 10 carbon atoms and (2) aliphatic hydrocarbyl group substituted hydroxy aromatic compounds wherein the aliphatic hydrocarbyl group is a group of at least 12 carbon atoms; said process comprising conducting the reaction in the presence of a sulfonic acid catalyst having solubilizing properties, wherein the sulfonic acid catalyst is an aliphatic hydrocarbyl group-substituted sulfonic acid of at least 6 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbyl group.