The Dow Chemical Company

Joseph W Rakshys, Jr

Lu H Tung

Douglas E Beyer

Grace Y Lo

Suzanne V McKinley

Eckel R Lane

Walter E Rupprecht

Highly desirable multifunctional lithium containing initiators are prepared by reacting a compound such as an organo lithium with an organic compound containing at least two 1,1-diphenylethylene groups. Such initiators can be prepared in the absence of polar solvents and are very desirable for the polymerization of dienes such as butadiene to a desirable 1,4 configuration. Several di-lithium compounds have been employed to initiate polymerization of various unsaturated organic monomers.

Multifunctional lithium containing initiator

Novel resins having a carbon-to-carbon backbone, cross-linked with carbon-to-carbon linkages and having a plurality of ##STR1## pendant groups, wherein m is an integer from 1 to 6, preferably 3, each R is an alkyl group of from 1 to 10 C atoms, preferably 2-6 C atoms, and X is an alkoxyl or aryloxy group, an OH- group or a hydrocarbyl COO- group or a CN-, NO.sub.3 -, SO.sub.4 -, or ClO.sub.4 - group and a method of their preparation are disclosed. The cross-linked resins are useful as resins and as insoluble catalysts for preparation of glycol ethers from alcohols and epoxides, and for polymerizing epoxides.

Insoluble polyalkyl phosphonium salt resins having carbon-carbon

The reaction of an organic monohydroxy compound with a monomeric epoxide is catalyzed by insoluble, polymeric composition having tetraalkyl phosphonium alkoxide, aryloxide or hydroxide containing pendant groups. These groups have the structure ##STR1## wherein n is an integer from 1 to 3, preferably 3, m is an integer from 1-6, preferably 3-6, R is an alkyl group of from 1 to 6 C atoms, R' is H, an alkyl, CN, or other group inert to reaction with phosphonium halides, alkoxides or the phosphonium salt resins or in some instances to organolithium reagents and X is an alkoxy, cycloalkoxy or aryloxy group, or an OH group. The above catalysts are readily removed from the reaction mixture because of their insolubility. They are particularly useful for making monoethers of the structure A(OA').sub.b OH where A is the nonhydroxyl residue of the monohydroxy compound and A' is the nonhydroxy residue of an epoxide monomer, and b is an integer of from 1 to about 20 with b = 1-5 preferred.

Method of preparing monoethers of alkylene glycols

A plastic container for planting tree seedlings in a mechanized process, and being in the shape of a projectile suitable for penetration into soil. The planting container is highly oriented in its longitudinal direction with a number of longitudinal grooves positioned on the inside, outside or both sides thereof. The grooves include slits and holes to permit drainage, egress of growing roots, and aiding in the self-destruction of the container after being injected into the ground with a seedling. The self-destruction can be further promoted by the use of stress cracking agents within the plastic material comprising the planting container.

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Midland, MI, United States of America

Joseph W Rakshys, Jr