Patent ID: 7385075

Claim:
A process for preparing esters of an acid component from among polybasic C 4 -C 10 carboxylic acids and an alcohol component selected from among ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, n-hexanol-1, and 2-ethylhexanol by a) heating at boiling point, in a reaction zone and in the presence of an esterification catalyst, a mixture consisting essentially of the acid component or of an anhydride thereof and of the alcohol component to obtain a vapor comprising alcohol and water, b) introducing the vapor comprising alcohol and water into a rectification column and separating the vapor into an alcohol-rich fraction and a water-rich fraction, by rectification, c) returning the alcohol-rich fraction being discharged from the lower end of the rectification column into the reaction zone, condensing all of the water-rich fraction emerging at the upper end of the column to form an organic phase and an aqueous phase, recycling the organic phase completely as reflux, and withdrawing from the process at least a part of the aqueous phase.