Abstract: In the preparation of glycol esters by the liquid phase reaction of an olefin, molecular oxygen, and a carboxylic acid in the presence of a catalyst system comprising a variable valent cation in association with bromine, chlorine, a bromine-containing compound or a chlorine-containing compound, improved reaction rate and product selectively are achieved by carrying out the reaction in a vertical reaction zone communicating with at least one zone for movement of liquid from the top of the vertical reaction zone to the bottom of said reaction zone, and providing gaseous and liquid feeds in predetermined relationships and providing predetermined vertical superficial liquid velocities.

Abstract: According to the present invention an impure liquid containing ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, lower carboxylate esters of the glycol, water, carboxylic acid and glycol-azeotroping agent is treated for removal of substantially all of said glycol-azeotroping agent by a process which comprises distilling the impure liquid in a distillation zone to form an overheads product comprising water and glycol-azeotroping agent and a bottoms product comprising the glycol, esters and carboxylic acid, which is substantially free of said glycol-azeotroping agent, said bottoms product containing water in an amount of at least about 1 weight percent of the amount of water passed to said distillation zone with said impure liquid.

Abstract: Ethylene glycol esters or propylene glycol esters are recovered from their mixtures with high- and low-boiling organo-halogens by (1) distilling the mixture in a first distillation zone to form a first bottoms stream comprising the high-boiling organo-halogen impurities and a first overhead stream comprising the ethylene glycol esters or propylene glycol esters together with the low-boiling organo-halogen impurities, and (2) distilling at least a portion of the first overhead stream in a second distillation zone to form a second overhead stream containing the low-boiling organo-halogen impurities and a second bottoms stream comprising the desired ethylene glycol esters or propylene glycol esters having a substantially reduced concentration of the organo-halogen impurities.