Process for the manufacture of glycidyl ethers of monohydric or polyhydric phenols, having improved properties

Claim 1

In a process for manufacturing glycidyl ethers from monohydric or polyhydric phenols and excess epichlorohydrin, relative to the amount of phenolic hydroxyl groups, in the presence of a catalyst which is specific for the formation of chlorohydrin ethers from the phenol and epichlorohydrin and from 0.2 to 8 percent by weight of water, based upon the weight of the reaction medium, and then the chlorohydrin is reacted by heating with 0.9 to 1.15 equivalent of solid alkali metal hydroxide per phenolic hydroxyl group to give glycidyl ethers in the presence of 0.001 to 5 percent by weight, based on the amount of phenol employed, of a divalent tin compound, the improvement which comprises a. in the first stage, conducting the reaction between phenol and the excess epichlorohydrin in the presence of the catalyst specific to the formation of the chlorohydrin in an alkali-free medium at from 50° to 100°C for from 1 to 4 hours, until 50 to 90 percent, based on the phenolic hydroxyl groups, of the chlorohydrin is formed, and thereafter b. in a second stage, adding to the reaction mixture from stage (a) from 10 to 90 percent by weight of the solid alkali metal hydroxide over the course of 18 to 90 percent of the total time of addition of the solid alkali metal hydroxide, which time is 30 to 300 minutes, while removing the heat of reaction by cooling the mixture or distillation under reflux under reduced pressure in the presence of water of reaction or added water, and thereafter c. in a third stage, adding the remainder of the solid alkali metal hydroxide, with removal of the heat of reaction and water of reaction or added water from the mixture by azeotropic distillation, and thereafter d. distilling the excess epichlorohydrin from the glycidyl ether product.