Process for making oil-soluble chromium carboxylates

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR MAKING WATER-INSOLUBLE OIL-SOLUBLE METAL SALTS COMPRISED ESSENTIALLY OF TRIVALENT CHROMIUM FATTY CARBOXYLATES WHEREIN THE CARBOXYLATE RADICALS ARE PREDOMINANTLY UNSATURATED, WHICH COMPRISES (A) REACTING, AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 25*C. TO ABOUT 100*C., AN ACID MIXTURE HAVING A TOTAL ACID CONCENTRATION PROVIDING 3 TO 4 EQUIVALENTS OF HYDROGEN ION PER ATOM OF CHROMIUM AND CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) AT LEAST ONE WATER-SOLUBLE DICHROMATE OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL DICHROMATES AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL DICHROMATES; (B) FROM ABOUT 3 TO ABOUT 4 MOLES PER CHROMIUM ATOM OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE FATTY CARBOXYLIC ACID COMPOSITION WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED FATTY ACID OF 10 TO 22 CARBON ATOMS; (C) A REDUCING AGENT FOR SAID DICHROMATE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO COMPLETELY REDUCE THE CHROMIUM TO CR(III), SAID REDUCING AGENT BEING MORE READILY OXIDIZED THAN SAID ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED FATTY ACID AND HAVING A STANDARD OXIDATION POTENTIAL IN THE RANGE OF MINUS 0.25 TO PLUS 0.5 VOLT; (B) MAINTAINING THE MIXTURE UNDER SAID REACTION CONDITIONS UNTIL THE CHROMIUM IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY REDUCED TO CR(III); AND (C) SEPARATING THE RESULTANT CR(III) CARBOXYLATE PRODUCT FROM THE BY-PRODUCT AQUEOUS PHASE.