Continuous process for preparing glycidyl polyethers of polyhydric phenols

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PREPARING GLYCIDYL POLYETHERS OF POLYHYDRIC PHENOLS WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF REACTION ZONES AN EPOXY-FORMING MATERIAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF EPICHLOROHYDRIN AND GLYCEROL DICHLOROHYDRIN, AND POLYHYDRIC PHENOL IN MOL RATIO VARYING FROM 5:1 TO 25:1, WATER AND ACETONE IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE WEIGHT RATIO OF EPOXYFORMING MATERIAL TO ACETONE IS ABOUT 1:1 TO 1:0.5, THE AMOUNT OF WATER VARYING FROM ABOUT 2.5% BY WEIGHT TO THAT AMOUNT THAT WOULD GIVE 18% BY WEIGHT OF WATER AT THE END OF THE LAST ZONE AS DESCRIBED HEREINAFTER AND CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THIS MIXTURE INTO A SERIES OF AT LEAST TWO OTHER SEPARATE REACTION ZONES, IN EACH OF SAID ZONES (1) THE MIXTURE BEING MAINTAINED UNDER AGITATION TO EFFECT INTIMATE CONTACT OF THE REACTANTS, (2) THE TEMPERATURE BEING MAINTAINED BETWEEN 100*F. AND 180*F., AND (3) A PORTION OF THE EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE BEING ADDED PORTIONWISE IN EACH ZONE, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE MIXTURE AFTER BEING REMOVED FROM THE LAST ZONE BEING BETWEEN 10% AND 18% BY WEIGHT, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE REACTION MIXTURE FROM THE LAST ZONE TO A PHASE SEPARATOR, SEPARATING THE ORGANIC PHASE AND RECOVERING THE GLYCIDYL POLYETHER THEREFROM.