Process for manufacture of glycidyl ethers of polyhydric phenols

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF POLYGLYCIDYL ETHER OF A POLYHYDRIC PHENOL WHEREIN A POLYHYDRIC PHENOL AND SUFFICIENT EPICHOLOHYDRIN TO AMOUNT TO AT LEAST TWO MOLECULES THEREOF PER PHENOLIC HYDROXYL GROUP ARE INTRODUCED CONTINOUSLY TO THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF REACTION ZONES FOR REACTION WITH ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE, REACTION MIXTURE IS CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRED FROM ZONE TO ZONE IN THE SERIES WITH CONTINUOUS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LAST ZONE, AND THE REACTION MIXTURE IN THE SEVERAL ZONES IS AGITATED AND BOILED WITH AZEOTROPIC DISTILLATION OF WATER EPICHLOROHYDRIN THEREFROM SO THAT THE WATER CONCENTRATION IN THE REACTION MIXTURE IS MAINTAINED AT FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO 2% BY WEIGHT WHILE REGULATING THE RATES OF INTRODUCTION OF REACTANTS, TRANSFER OF REACTION MIXTURE AND WITHDRAWAL OF PRODUCT SO THAT LIQUID CONTENTS IN THE SEVERAL ZONES ARE MAINTAINED SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING THE HYDROXIDE TO THE SEVERAL ZONES IN RACTIONS WITH THE TOTAL THEREOF AMOUNTING TO ABOUT AN EQUIVALENT OF THE HYDROXIDE PER EQUIVALENT OF THE EPICHLOROHYDRIN THAT REACTS IN THE WHOLE OF THE SERIES OF ZONES.