Manufacture of lubricating greases by the in situ alkali fusion of alcohols

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PREPARING A LUBRICATING GREASE WHICH COMPRISES MIXING A MINERAL LUBRICATING OIL WITH ALKALI, OF REACTING AN OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A CARBONYLATION CARALYST 450* TO 500*F., SLOWLY ADDING TO THE HEATED MIXTURE OVER A TIME IN THR RANGE OF 1 TO 20 HOURS A STOICHIOMETRIC PROPORTION OF AN ALCOHOL WHILE MAINTAINING A FUSION-REACTION TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 475* TO 560* F., CONTINUING HEATING AT THE FUSION-REACTION TEMPERATURE UNTIL GAS EVOLUTION CEASES, COOLING THE REACTION MIXTURE, AND DILUTING THE REACTION MIXTURE WITH ADDITIONAL LUBRICATING OIL TO OBTAIN THE DESIRED GREASE CONSISTENCY, SAID ALCOHOL CONSISTING OF A BRANCHED CHAIN PRIMARY ALIUPHATIC ALCOHOL HAVING FROM ABOUT 10 TO 30 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE PREPARED BY THE CATALYTIC REACTION OF AN OLEFIN HAVING ONE CARBON ATOM LESS THAN SAID ALCOHOL WITH CARBON MINOXIDE AND HYDROGEN AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 300* TO 400* F. AND A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 2500 TO 4000 P.S.I.G. IN THE PRESENCE OF A GROUP V111 METAL CATALYST, FOLLOWED BY CATALYTIC HYDROGENATION OF THE ALDEHYDE SO FORMED.