Preparation of organic carbonates bearing disparate radicals

Claim 1

THE MANUFACTURE OF A BIS-ALKYLCARBONATE OF A DIHYDROXYL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF DIHYDROXY MONOCYCLIC AND BICYCLIC ARYL COMPOUND AND DIHYDRIC ALKANOLS THAT COMPRISES ABSORBING CARBON MONOXIDE IN A REACTION MEDIUM COMPRISING A SOLUTION CONTAINING A MERCURIC CARBOXYLATE OF A LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT ALKYL CARBOXYLIC ACID AND A PRIMARY ALKANOL AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 0* AND ABOUT 100* CENTIGRADE AND A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND ABOUT 2000 P.S.I.G. TO THEREBY FROM A CARBOALKOXYMERCURIC SALT, SEPARATING SAID CARBOALKOXYMERCURIC SALT FROM THE CRUDE PRODUCT OF SAID ABSORPTION AND THEREAFTER HEATING SAID CARBOALKOXYMERCURIC SALT IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID DIHYDROXYL COMPOUND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 150* AND ABOUT 350* CENTIGRADE TO DECOMPOSE SAID CARBOALKOXYMERCURIC SALT AND FORM SAID BIS-ALKYLCARBONATE OF SAID DIHYDROXYL COMPOUND.