Process for treating ammonium borates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A BORATE ESTER OF THE FORMULA (R"O)3B WHERE R" IS AN ALKL GROUP OF BETWEEN TWO AND THREE CARBON ATOMS CONSISTING OF: FORMING A MIXTURE OF AN AMMONIUM BORATE AND ALCOHOL OF THE FORMULA R"OH WHEREIN R" IS AS DESIGNATED ABOVE, SAID R"OH BEING PRESENT IN SUFICIENT QUANTITY TO REACT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID AMMONIUM BORATE TO FORM AMMONIA, H2O AND SAID (R"O)3B, ADDING THERETO SUFFICIENT OF AN AZEOTROPE FORMER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CYCLOHEXENE, PROPYL ETHER, DIISOBUTYLENE, 1,3-CYCLOHEXADIENE, 1-BROMOPROPANE, IODOMETHANE, BENZENE, ISOPROPYL ETHER AND AN ALCOHOL OF THE FORMULA R''OH WHERE R'' IS AN ALKYL GROUP OF FOUR TO SIX CARBON ATOMS TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE WATER FORMED BY THE SAID REACTION TO FORM AN AZEOTROPE, APPLYING HEAT THERETO TO INITIA A REACTION BETWEEN THE SAID AMMONIUM BORATE AND THE SAID R''OH AND DISTILLING THE REACTION MIXTURE SO FORMED TO DRIVE OFF GASEOUS AMMONIA AND SAID AZEOTROPE, HYDROLYZING THE (R"O)2B SO FORMED WHEREBY TO FORM BORIC ACID AND R"OH AND RECYCLING THE SAID R"OH IN THE SAID PROCESS.