Continuous manufacture of peroxyesters

Claim 1

A process for the continuous manufacture of a peroxyester having the formula ##STR2## wherein: (a) x, y, and n are 1 or 2; (b) when x is 2, y is 1 and n is 2; (c) when y is 2, x is 1 and n is 2; (d) when x, y and n are 1, R is selected from the group consisting of a primary, secondary, or tertiary alkyl of 1 to 17 carbons, aryl of 6 to 14 carbons, and cycloalkyl of 3 to 12 carbons, and R' is selected from the group consisting of a tertiary alkyl of 4 to 12 carbons, a tertiary aralkyl of 9 to 18 carbons, and tertiary cycloalkyl of 6 to 12 carbons; (e) when x is 2, R is a diradical selected from alkylene of 1 to 16 carbons, arylene of 6 to 14 carbons, cycloalkylene of 3 to 12 carbons, and aralkylene of 7 to 18 carbons; and (f) when y is 2, R' is a di-tertiary diradical selected from alkylene of 6 to 16 carbons, aralkylene of 12 to 18 carbons, and cycloalkylene of 7 to 12 carbons; which comprises: (I) continuously reacting an acid chloride having the formula ##STR3## a hydroperoxide having the formula R'(OOH) n , and an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide in two reaction zones of intense mixing connected in series in a temperature range of about -10° to +50° C and a pH of 10 to 14, wherein the first reaction zone is maintained in the upper part of the temperature range and the second reaction zone is maintained in the lower part of the temperature range; (II) continuously recovering the peroxyester product by (i) continuously feeding the reaction mixture directly from the second reaction zone through a liquid-liquid separation unit; (ii) continuously subjecting the product stream from the liquid-liquid separation unit to a series of washings and separations in a mixer-settler system; and (iii) continuously gas stripping the product from the mixer-settler system in a stripping column; and (iv) continuously adding the acid chloride, hydroperoxide and aqueous alkali metal hydroxide to the first reaction zone to replace that used up in the reaction effluent.