GB802778A - Method of preparing glycols and monoethers of glycols - Google Patents

Abstract

Glycols and monoethers of glycols are made by reacting an olefine oxide, styrene oxide or a halogenated olefine oxide with a hydroxy compound selected from water, primary and secondary acyclic alcohols, alicyclic alcohols, primary aromatic alcohols, secondary aromatic alcohols in which the hydroxyl group is attached to a carbon atom other than the alpha carbon atom, and phenoxy alcohols, the reaction being catalyzed by sulphur dioxide. If a glycol monoether is used as the starting hydroxy compound a polyglycol monoether is obtained. In the examples: (a) water is reacted with propylene oxide to give propylene glycol; (b) water is reacted with butylene oxide to give monobutylene glycol; (c) water is reacted with isobutylene oxide to give isobutylene glycol; (d) styrene oxide is reacted with water to give monostyrene glycol; (e) epichlorhydrin is reacted with water to give glycerol monochlorohydrin; (f) ethylene oxide is reacted with water to give mono-ethylene glycol; (g) methanol is reacted with propylene oxide to give a mixture of 1-methoxy - 2 - propanol and 2 - methoxy - 1 - propanol; (h) ethylene oxide is reacted with 2-ethoxyethanol to give 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)-ethanol; (j) methanol is reacted with ethylene oxide to give 2-methoxyethanol; (k) propylene oxide is reacted with sec.-butyl alcohol to give monopropylene glycol sec.-butyl ether; (1) propylene oxide is reacted with cyclohexanol to give propylene glycol cyclohexyl ether; (m) propylene oxide is reacted with ethanol to give two isomeric monoethyl ethers of propylene glycol; and (n) isopropyl alcohol is reacted with propylene oxide to give monoisopropyl ethers of propylene glycol; in each case sulphur dioxide is used as catalyst. In examples (a) to (f) some di- and poly-glycols are also obtained and in Examples (g) to (n) some higher-boiling glycol ethers are also obtained.