Organosalts of metalate anions and process for the production of alkylene glycols therewith

Claim 1

A vicinal dioxyalkylene organometalate compound of the formula: ##STR13## wherein x' is the integer 1; [(R 0 ) m Y n ] x'+ comprises a cation having a positive charge of x' selected from the group consisting of ammonium or phosphonium cations of the formulae: ##STR14## wherein Y is nitrogen or phosphorus, sulfonium cations of the formula: ##STR15## wherein Y is sulfur, and bis(hydrocarbyl-phosphine) iminiums of the formula: [(R.sub.3.sup.9 P).sub.2 N].sup.+ wherein R 5 to R 9 are the same or different and comprise hydrogen or hydrocarbyl substituent selected from the group consisting of aliphatic or aromatic substituents having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the proviso that at least one of R 5 to R 9 is a hydrocarbyl substituent and that at least one of R 5 to R 9 contains sufficient carbon atoms that said vicinal dioxyalkylene organometalate is soluble in an organic solvent; L is a cation which has a positive charge of X wherein X is 1, which is selected from the group consisting of: [(R.sup.0).sub.m Y.sub.n ].sup.x'+ as defined above, alkaline metal, quaternary ammonium and quaternary phosphonium cations; z is 1 to 4; a equals the amount of x'+(z-1)(x); and ##STR16## is an anion having a negative charge of a selected from the group consisting of anions of the formula [VO 4 C 2 H 4 ] -1 , [V 2 O 8 C 2 H 4 ] -4 , [C 2 H 4 O 2 WO 3 ] -2 , [(C 2 H 4 O 2 ) 2 WO 2 ] -2 , [V 2 O 8 C 2 H 5 ] -3 . ##STR17## wherein R 1 to R 4 are the same or different and are hydrogen, alkyl of between 1 and about 10 carbons, monocyclic or bicyclic aryl having up to about 12 carbons, alkaryl having 7 to about 10 carbons, monocyclic or bicyclic aralkyl having 7 to about 15 carbons, alkenyl having 2 to 3 carbons, cycloaklyl having 3 to about 8 carbons, and cyclic structures joining two of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 having 3 to about 8 carbon atoms.