Alkenyl ethers from high molecular weight polyols

Claim 1

A process for preparing alkenyl ethers from polyols having more than 15 carbon atoms and a molecular weight less than 6,000 wherein the resultant alkenyl ethers are not readily distillable from the reaction mixture and the process facilitates ether product recovery, comprising the steps of: establishing a substantially uniform mixture, by stirring at elevated temperatures, the mixture consisting of alkali metal hydroxide, sufficient water as to dissolve the alkali metal hydroxide, water immiscible hydrocarbon solvent, and a polyol having more than 15 carbon atoms and a molecular weight less than 6,000 in which 3 to 6 or 10 hydroxyl groups are the sole functional groups and is free from aliphatic unsaturation; azeotropically distilling water and water immiscible hydrocarbon solvent from the system and returning the water immiscible hydrocarbon solvent to the reaction mixture to result in a uniform suspension of finely divided solids in a viscous phase; adding an alkenyl chloride, containing a chlorine atom bound directly to a saturated aliphatic carbon atom, after removal of water is near completion, in a dropwise fashion, at a rate to maintain the temperature of reaction; removing most of the water of reaction; cooling the reaction mixture; washing the reaction mixture with water; separating the organic phase; and stripping the water immiscible hyhydrocarbon solvent from the organic phase to obtain the alkenyl ether; wherein the entire process is conducted at atmospheric or subatmospheric pressures.