Loading patent…
AssigneeDow Global Technologies LLC
InventorsAnne-Catherine Bédard, Matthew E. Belowich, Mari S. Rosen, Sandra Varinia Bernales Candia, David A. Babb, Clark H. Cummins, Richard J. Keaton, Matthew M. Yonkey, Peter J. Waller
Estimating the term…
Polyethers are prepared by polymerizing an alkylene oxide in the presence of a starter, an aluminum compound that has at least one hydrocarbyl substituent, and a phosphorus-nitrogen base. The phosphorus-nitrogen base is present in only a small molar ratio relative to the amount of starter. The presence of such small amounts of phosphorus-nitrogen base greatly increases the catalytic activity of the system, compared to the case in which the aluminum compound is used by itself. The product polyethers have low amounts of unsaturated polyether impurities and little or no unwanted high molecular weight fraction. Polymers of propylene oxide have very low proportions of primary hydroxyl groups.
A method for producing an alkylene oxide polymer or copolymer, comprising combining (i) at least one aluminum compound containing at least one trisubstituted aluminum atom, wherein at least one of the substituents of at least one trisubstituted aluminum atom is hydrocarbyl, (ii) at least one starter, (iii) at least one alkylene oxide, (iv) from 0.00005 to 0.1 mole, per equivalent of starter, of at least one phosphorus-nitrogen base, and polymerizing the alkylene oxide(s) or copolymerizing the alkylene oxide(s) and the comonomer to form the alkylene oxide polymer or copolymer, wherein the phosphorus-nitrogen base is
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.