Preparation of organic polysilicates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A LIQUID POLYSILICATE ESTER HAVING A LOW ACID CONTENT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) PROVIDING A REACTION ZONE CONSISTING OF A PACKED COLUMN, (B) INTRODUCING INTO THE TOP OF SAID PACKED COLUMN AN AQUEOUS LIQUID ALCOHOL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALIPHATIC ALCOHOLS HAVING BETWEEN 2 AND 18 CARBON ATOMS, (C) CAUSING SAID LIQUID AQUEOUS ALCOHOL TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE COLUMN, (D) INTRODUCING ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE COLUMN A VAPORIZED CHLOROSILANE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TRICHLOROSILANE, HEXACHLORODISILANE, SILICON TETRACHLORIDE AND ADMIXTURES THEREOF, (E) PASSING SAID LIQUID AQUEOUS ALCOHOL AND VAPORIZED CHLOROSILANE MATERIAL IN COUNTER-CURRENT CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER AND ALLOWING THEM TO REACT WITH EACH OTHER IN THE PACKED COLUMN, (F) THE AMOUNT OF SAID LIQUID AQUEOUS ALCOHOL BEING AT LEAST 0.2 MOLE PER MOLE OF CHLOROSILANE IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A COMPLETELY ESTERFIED PRODUCT, (G) THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN SAID AQUEOUS ALCOHOL BEING SUFFICIENT TO BRING ABOUT THE POLYMERIZATION OF THE SILICATE, (H) REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE PACKED COLUMN AND REMOVING FROM SAID PRODUCT UNREACTED ALCOHOL, AND (I) RECOVERING A POLYSILICATE PRODUCT HAVING A LOW RESIDUAL HCL CONTENT.