Guerbet Polymers

Highly branched and saturated oily Guerbet polymers having primary alcohols have been prepared by condensing 1,9-, 1,10-, or 1,12-aliphatic diols with behenyl alcohol and zinc oxide. To control the molecular weight, each polymer was capped with a C12 or higher fatty alcohol. 

A reaction vessel was charged with behenyl alcohol (0.652 kg), 1,10-decanediol (101 kg), and zinc oxide (6 g) and then heated to 230°C. The reaction began at about 170°C and was monitored by the amount of water generated and hydroxyl number of sample aliquots. When the reaction was completed, the product was used without purification. 

TABLE 1. Selected Guerbet oligomers and polymers prepared using C9, Cio, or C12 diols with behenyl alcohol and capping with a fatty alcohol. 

Entry Capping Alcohol Diol Repeat Unit 

Note The catalyst was 0.1 wt% zinc oxide based on capping agent. Very limited analytical data were supplied by the author. 

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E Dittmar, R Capron, JM Jouany, M. Guerbet. Polym Degrad Stab 23 377, 1989. 

VDC polymer degradation and, 25 717 2-Alkyl-alcohols. See Guerbet alcohols Alkylalkanolamines, 2 140 Alkylaluminum compounds, 2 285 Alkylaluminum halides, 2 358 Alkylaluminum reagents, in triorganotin preparation, 24 815-816 Alkyl amino acids, protonated, 17 780 Alkylaminomethanols, 12 112 AT-Alkyl amino propionates, 24 148... 

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