Production processes for alkylene oxide addition product and its derivatives

A production process for a (meth)acrylate ester, which comprises the step of carrying out an esterification reaction between (meth)acrylic acid and an alkylene oxide addition product from a hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound or a transesterification reaction between the alkylene oxide addition product and an alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid, thereby obtaining the (meth)acrylate ester;

• wherein the alkylene oxide addition product from the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound is a product obtained by a process including:
• an initial step of causing the alkylene oxide to add by an addition reaction to the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound in an amount of not larger than 20 mols on average of the alkylene oxide per 1 mol of the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound to thereby obtain an alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product, wherein the hydroxyl-group containing saturated compound has a water content of not more than 6,000 ppm;
• and a molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step of causing the alkylene oxide to further add by an addition reaction to the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product as obtained in the initial step;
• wherein a part of the entirety of the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product as obtained in the initial step is used in the molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step, and where the amount of the alkylene oxide used in the molar-degree of polyaddition-adjusting step is not larger than 20 mols on average per 1 mol of the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product.

A production process for a (meth)acrylic copolymer, which comprises the step of carrying out a polymerization reaction of a monomer component including a (meth)acrylate ester to thereby obtain the (meth)acrylic copolymer;

• wherein:
• the (meth)acrylate ester is a product obtained by a process including the step of carrying out an esterification reaction between (meth)acrylic acid and an alkylene oxide addition product from a hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound or a transesterification reaction between the alkylene oxide addition product and an alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid;
• wherein the alkylene oxide addition product from the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound is a product obtained by a process including:
• an initial step of causing the alkylene oxide to add by an addition reaction to the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound in an amount of not larger than 20 mols on average of the alkylene oxide per 1 mol of the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound to thereby obtain an alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product, wherein the hydroxyl-group-containing saturated compound has a water content of not more than 6,000 ppm;
• and a molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step of causing the alkylene oxide to further add by an addition reaction to the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product as obtained in the initial step;
• wherein a part of the entirety of the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product as obtained in the initial step is used in the molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step to obtain the alkylene oxide addition product, and where only the resulting alkylene oxide addition product obtained in the molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step is used in the esterification reaction or transesterification reaction and where the amount of the alkylene oxide used in the molar-degree-of-polyaddition-adjusting step is not larger than 20 mols on average per 1 mol of the alkylene oxide low-mol-addition product.