Preparation of borates of tertiary alcohols

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING TERTIARY BUTYL BORATE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING TERTIARY BUTANOL WITH BORIC ACID IN A REACTION ZONE HAVING PRESENT THEREIN A VOLATILE WATER-IMMISCIBLE ENTRAINER, HEATING THE REACTION ZONE TO THE BOILING POINT OF THE MIXTURE, PASSING A VAPOR MIXTURE COMPRISING THE TERNARY AZEOTROPE OF TERTIARY BUTANOL, WATER AND THE ENTRAINER TOGETHER WITH EXCESS TERTIARY BUTANOL FROM THE REACTION ZONE TO A FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREIN THE EXCESS TERTIARY BUTANOL IS SEPARATED FROM THE TERNARY AZEOTROPE, REGLUXING THE EXCESS TERTIARY BUTANOL TO THE REACTION ZONE, CONDENSING THE AZEOTROPE VAPOR FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE WHEREBY AN AQUEOUS PHASE AND A WATER-IMMISCIBLE ENTRAINER PHASE ARE FORMED, REMOVING THE AQUEOUS PHASE, RETURNING THE ENTRAINER PHASE TO THE REACTION ZONE, AND RECOVERING TERTIARY BUTYL BORATE FROM A RESIDUAL MIXTURE IN THE REACTION ZONE.