Patent ID: 7348460

Claim:
A process for preparing at least one alkoxylate, which comprises: bringing at least one alkylene oxide selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, pentylene oxide, and decene oxide into contact with at least one Guerbet alcohol having from 10 to 15 carbon atoms in the presence of at least one double metal cyanide compound of the general formula (I): M 1 a [M 2 (CN) b (A) c ] d .fM 1 g X n .h(H 2 O).eL.kP (I), wherein M 1 is at least one metal ion selected from the group consisting of Zn 2+ , Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , Co 3+ , Ni 2+ , Mn 2+ , Co 2+ , Sn 2+ , Pb 2+ , Mo 4+ , Mo 6+ , Al 3+ , V 4+ , V 5+ , Sr 2+ , W 4+ , W 6+ , Cr 2+ , Cr 3+ , Cd 2+ , Hg 2+ , Pd 2+ , Pt 2+ , V 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ , Cu 2+ , La 3+ , Ce 3+ , Ce 4+ , Eu 3+ , Ti 3+ , Ti 4+ , Ag + , Rh 2+ , Rh 3+ , Ru 2+ , and Ru 3+ ; M 2 is at least one metal ion selected from the group consisting of Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , Co 2+ , Co 3+ , Mn 2+ , Mn 3+ , V 4+ , V 5+ , Cr 2+ , Cr 3+ , Rh 3+ , Ru 2+ , and Ir 3+ ; A and X are each, independently of one another, an anion selected from the group consisting of halide, hydroxide, sulfate, carbonate, cyanide, thiocyanate, isocyanate, cyanate, carboxylate, oxalate, nitrate, nitrosyl, hydrogensulfate, phosphate, dihydrogenphosphate, hydrogenphosphate, and hydrogencarbonate; L is a water-miscible ligand selected from the group consisting of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, polyethers, esters, polyesters, polycarbonate, ureas, amides, primary, secondary and tertiary amines, ligands having a pyridine nitrogen, nitriles, sulfides, phosphides, phosphites, phosphanes, phosphonates, and phosphates; k is a fraction or integer greater than 0; P is an organic additive selected from the group consisting of polyethers, polyesters, polycarbonates, polyalkylene glycol sorbitan esters, polyalkylene glycol glycidyl ethers, polyacrylamide, poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), polyacrylic acid, poly(acrylamide-co-maleic acid), polyacrylonitrile, polyalkyl acrylates, polyalkyl methacrylates, polyvinyl methyl ether, polyvinyl ethyl ether, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone, poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone-co-acrylic acid), polyvinyl methyl ketone, poly(4-vinyiphenol), poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene), oxazoline polymers, polyalkylenimines, maleic acid and maleic anhydride copolymers, hydroxyethylcellulose, polyacetates, ionic surface-and interface-active compounds, bile acids or their salts, esters or amides, carboxylic esters of polyhydric alcohols, glycosides and mixtures thereof; a, b, c, d, g and n are selected so that the compound (I) is electrically neutral, wherein c may be equal to 0; e is the number of ligand molecules and is a fraction or integer greater than or equal to 0; f and h are each, independently of one another, a fraction or integer greater than or equal to 0; and wherein the reaction is carried out at a temperature of from 140 C. to 155° C.