Hydroxyalkylation of polysaccharides

Claim 1

PROCESS OF PRODUCING AN HYDROXYALKYL ETHER OF A POLYSACCHARIDE OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CELLULOSES AND STARCHES, WHICH COMPRISES DISPERSING A FINELY DIVIDED POLYSACCHARIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE CELLULOSES AND STARCHES IN A LIQUID DISPERSANT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF MIXTURES CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE MONOHYDRIC ALKANOL HAVING 4 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS WHICH IS NOT CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF CAUSTIC ALKALI AT TEMPERATURES AROUND 20* C.-25* C., TOGETHER WITH BETWEEN 5% AND 25%, BASED UPON THE WEIGHT OF SAID ALKANOL, OF A MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING A SLIGHT AMOUNT BUT AT LEAST 0.01% OF ITS WEIGHT OF A CAUSTIC ALKALI AT SAID TEMPERATURES, SAID LASTNAMED ALCOHOL BEING A 2-ALKOXYISOPROPANOL HAVING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALKOXY GROUP AND AGITATING THE RESULTANT DISPERSION WITH A CAUSTIC ALKALI, WATER AND AN ALKYLENE OXIDE HAVING 2 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES NO HIGHER THAN 50* C., WHILE MAINTAINING IN THE SOLID STATE THE POLYSACCHARIDE AND THE DERIVATIVES THEREOF PRODUCED, AND RECOVERING FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE AND THE HYDROXYALKYL ETHER OF A POLYSACCHARIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE CELLULOSES AND STARCHES PRESENT THEREIN.