Allied Corporation

Allied Chemical Corporation

John A Bander

Stanley D Lazarus

Harold W Tuller

Ian C Twilley

John C Haylock

Donna M Vultaggio

Timothy S Brown

Leroy Chi-Tsun Lin

The present invention is a composition comprising a linear saturated polyester and from 0.5 to 30 percent by weight of the polyester of at least one ester of a polyfunctional alcohol having a molecular weight of from 900 to about 1,500. The ester is of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid wherein the alcohol has the formula

Polyester composition containing ester of polyfunctional high molecular

This invention is an improvement to the continuous method to polymerize caprolactam at temperatures over 220.degree. but below 280.degree. C. in the presence of free water, a catalyst capable of generating phosphoric acid at the reaction conditions, in the hydrolyzer to form a prepolymer, with subsequent stripping of water and other low boiling compounds, and with completion of polymerization in a final finisher under a vacuum. The improvement comprises limiting the amount of free water fed to the polymerization process to less than about 1.5 percent but above 0.5 percent by weight of polymer and limiting the amount of catalyst being fed to the polymerization process to between about 5 ppm and 100 ppm of polymer of measured phosphorus so that (a) the rate of the process increases at the same temperature and pressure, or dimer content of the final polymer decreases or both, (b) the molecular weight of prepolymer from the hydrolyzer of the process increases, (c) less water is removed from the polymer and prepolymer during processing, (d) conditions required to remove water and other low boiling compounds from the finisher are less severe, resulting in a lower temperature of the polymer delivered to spinning from the final finish or a lower cost for vacuum removal or both, and (e) there is a reduction of deposits on the screen for molten final polymer prior to spinning.

Continuous low moisture catalytic method for polymerization of

Using an alkanolamine titanium chelate catalyst, such as triethanolamine titanium chelate, in small catalytic amounts to esterify and polycondense aromatic polycarboxylic acids or anhydrides, such as terephthalic acid, with a glycol, such as ethylene glycol at low glycol to acid reactant ratios surprisingly yields a polyester of low diethylene glycol content without adding an additional diethylene glycol suppressant.

Catalytic process for preparation of polyesters

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Richmond, VA, United States of America

John A Bander