Continuous production of salts of hydroxy aliphatic sulfonic acids

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF SALTS OF HYDROXY ALIPHATIC SULFONIC ACIDS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULFATE AND SULFITE SALTS AND WITHOUT APPRECIABLE PROPORTIONS OF GLYCOLS AND GLYCOL ETHERS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADMIXING AND INTERACTING SULFUR DIOXIDE AND A WATER SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI WHOSE BISULFITE SALT IS APPRECIABLY SOLUBLE IN WATER IN THE PROPORTION OF ONE MOLE WEIGHT OF SULFUR DIOXIDE AND FROM 1.00 TO 1.02 CHEMICAL EQUIVALENT WEIGHTS OF ALKALI TO OBTAIN A WATER SOLUTION OF AN ALKALIBISULFITE SALT, CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO A MIXING AND REACTION ZONE A STREAM OF SUCH ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND A STREAM OF AN EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND WHEREIN THE EPOXY OXYGEN ATOM IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN ADJACENT CARBON ATOMS IN A CARBON CHAIN OF THE MOLECULE, WHEREIN THE CARBON CHAIN HAS FROM 2 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND WHEREIN THE EPOXY GROUP IS THE ONLY SUBSTITUENT CHEMICALLY REACTIVE WITH THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT, THE RELATIVE RATES OF FEEDING THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND BEING SUCH AS CORRESPOND TO FROM 1.06 TO 1.08 MOLE WEIGHTS OF EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND PER MOLE WEIGHT OF ALKALI BISULFITE SALT, INTIMATELY ADMIXING THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND, BRINGING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 60* AND ABOUT 180*C. AT A PRESSURE AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION MIXTURE IN THE LIQUID STATE AND FOR A TIME TO OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE INTERACTION OF THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND, SUBSTANTIALLY EXCLUDING MOLECULAR OXYGEN FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE WHILE CARRYING OUT THE FOREGOING OPERATIONS, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM THE REACTION ZONE A WATER SOLUTION OF A SALT OF A HYDROXY ALIPHATIC SULFONIC ACID THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULFATE AND SULFITE SALTS AND WITHOUT APPRECIABLE PROPORTIONS OF GLYCOLS AND GLYCOL ETHERS.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF SALTS OF HYDROXY ALIPHATIC SULFONIC ACIDS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULFATE AND SULFITE SALTS AND WITHOUT APPRECIABLE PROPORTIONS OF GLYCOLS AND GLYCOL ETHERS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADMIXING AND INTERACTING SULFUR DIOXIDE AND A WATER SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI WHOSE BISULFITE SALT IS APPRECIABLY SOLUBLE IN WATER IN THE PROPORTION OF ONE MOLE WEIGHT OF SULFUR DIOXIDE AND FROM 1.00 TO 1.02 CHEMICAL EQUIVALENT WEIGHTS OF ALKALI TO OBTAIN A WATER SOLUTION OF AN ALKALIBISULFITE SALT, CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO A MIXING AND REACTION ZONE A STREAM OF SUCH ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND A STREAM OF AN EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND WHEREIN THE EPOXY OXYGEN ATOM IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN ADJACENT CARBON ATOMS IN A CARBON CHAIN OF THE MOLECULE, WHEREIN THE CARBON CHAIN HAS FROM 2 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND WHEREIN THE EPOXY GROUP IS THE ONLY SUBSTITUENT CHEMICALLY REACTIVE WITH THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT, THE RELATIVE RATES OF FEEDING THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND BEING SUCH AS CORRESPOND TO FROM 1.06 TO 1.08 MOLE WEIGHTS OF EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND PER MOLE WEIGHT OF ALKALI BISULFITE SALT, INTIMATELY ADMIXING THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT SOLUTION AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND, BRINGING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 60* AND ABOUT 180*C. AT A PRESSURE AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION MIXTURE IN THE LIQUID STATE AND FOR A TIME TO OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE INTERACTION OF THE ALKALI BISULFITE SALT AND THE EPOXY ALIPHATIC COMPOUND, SUBSTANTIALLY EXCLUDING MOLECULAR OXYGEN FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE WHILE CARRYING OUT THE FOREGOING OPERATIONS, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM THE REACTION ZONE A WATER SOLUTION OF A SALT OF A HYDROXY ALIPHATIC SULFONIC ACID THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULFATE AND SULFITE SALTS AND WITHOUT APPRECIABLE PROPORTIONS OF GLYCOLS AND GLYCOL ETHERS.