Process for preparing oxyalkylated derivatives

Claim 1

A TWO-STEP PROCESS FOR PREPARING SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS, SUBSTANTIALLY UNDILUTED OXYALKYLATED DERIVATIVES FROM AN ANHYDROUS, SOLID, OXYALKYLATION SUSCEPTIBLE CELLULOSIC COMPOUND, WHICH SOLID SATISFIES ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS: (A) IT IS INFUSIBLE; (B) IT SUFFERS AT LEAST PARTIAL DECOMPOSITION IF MAINTAINED AT ITS BEGINNING-OFFUSION TEMPERATURE FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 15 MINUTES IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXYALKYLATION CATALYST, AND WHICH SOLID IS INSOLUBLE IN OXYALKYLATION-RESISTANT, DISTILLATIONSEPARABLE SOLVENT; WHICH PROCESS CONSISTS IN (A) FIRST REACTING SAID SOLID WITH AT LEAST ONE ALKYLENE CARBONATE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE CARBONATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, BUTYLENE CARBONATE, HYDROXYPROPYLENE CARBONATE, AND HYDROXYBUTYLENE CARBONATE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALKALINE OXYALKYLATION CATALYST; THE PROPORTION OF ALKYLENE CARBONATE EMPLOYED BEING SUFFICIENT TO YIELD A PRODUCT WHICH IS LIQUID AT THE TEMPERATURE REQUIRED TO EFFECT ITS SUBSEQUENT OXYALKYLATION USING AT LEAST ONE ALKYLENE OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE OXIDE, PROPYLENE OXIDE, BUTYLENE OXIDE, GLYCID, AND METHYLGLYCID; AND (B) SUBSEQUENTLY REACTING SUCH PARTIALLY OXYALKYLATED DERIVATIVE WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE AFORESAID CLASS OF ALKYLENE OXIDES.