GB477843A - The manufacture of new polymerisation products - Google Patents

Abstract

Oily to resin-like polymerization products are obtained by treating with a small amount of a Friedel-Craft's catalyst a compound of the formula <FORM:0477843/IV/1> in which R and R1 stand for hydrogen or alkyl groups and X stands for a radicle which is free from reactive hydrogen atoms, that is, a radicle which is unable to react with ethylene oxide groups. Thus, X may stand for hydrogen, <FORM:0477843/IV/2> (R2 and R3 being alkyl or aryl). Mixtures of several of the materials above defined, or of these with other reactive oxides, such as ethylene oxide or glycide, may be polymerized. Polymerization may be effected in the presence of an inert solvent, e.g. aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons or halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons. The reaction temperature varies from -25 DEG C. to the boiling point of the starting material or solvent, polymerization being preferably started at low temperature, the temperature being raised towards the end of the reaction. The catalysts are employed in quantities up to 10 per cent. In examples: (1) epichlorhydrin and a small quantity of borofluoride acetic are reacted with stirring and cooling, the temperature rising to 30--50 DEG C. The viscous oil is taken up in a solvent, e.g. carbon tetrachloride and stirred for some hours at 50 DEG C. with caustic soda and tonsil. Insoluble portions are separated and the solvent is distilled off leaving a thick oily polymerizate. Tin tetrachloride or aluminium chloride may be used in place of the borofluoride acetic acid; (2) epichlorhydrin is dissolved in carbon tetrachloride, and a few bubbles of gaseous boron fluoride are passed in while cooling and stirring, whereupon polymerization sets in. After cooling, a few more bubbles of boron fluoride are passed in, and this operation is repeated until the required degree of polymerization is reached. The boron fluoride is removed by treatment with alkaline substances, and the solvent distilled off, a sticky resin being obtained; (3) 1-phenoxypropene oxide-2.3 is polymerized with boron fluoride as in examples 1 and 2, without solvent or dissolved in benzene, chloroform, &c. If no solvent is used, a yellow oil is obtained; (4) a mixture of epichlorhydrin and glycide in any proportion is polymerized as in example 2; (5) 1--3 per cent of boron fluoride is passed into diethylaminoepihydrin and the whole is heated for some hours at 70--90 DEG C. The polymers may be used as softening agents, e.g. for acetyl cellulose, as thickening agents, or as intermediates in the preparation of other compounds; for instance, halogen atoms contained in the molecule may be reacted upon by bases, and the compounds thereby obtained are capable of increasing the affinity of materials for acid wool dyestuffs. Specification 354,992* is referred to.