Patent ID: 7943798

Claim:
A method for preparing metal salts of unsaturated, short-chain carboxylic acids by reacting in a solution a metal-alcoholate compound and a compound selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids of the general formula: C n H 2n-1 C(═O)OH, wherein the double bond is in the 2- or 3-position and n represents 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, maleic acid and mixtures thereof, in the presence of oxygen (0 2 ), which is continuously fed so that the reaction solution is at least 50% oxygen-saturated, to produce metal salts having at least one group of the formula C n H 2n-1 C(═O)O − and/or —OC(═O)CH═CHC(═O)O—(H + ) and a metal (M) selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Sn, La, Zr, Cu and Zn and mixtures thereof.