Abstract: Disclosed are acrylic polymer beads and an acrylic sol composition containing the acrylic polymer beads that are used for automobile underbody floor, wheel housing, fuel tank, body panel junction and hood, door, or the like for the purpose of water tightness, vibration isolation, and anticorrosion. More specifically, the acrylic polymer beads having a core/shell structure, which are prepared by using a part of the monomer constituting a core layer to form seeds by a seed polymerization, polymerizing the rest of the monomer to form a core layer and then foaming a shell layer containing an appropriate amount of a crosslink agent, have a narrow particle size distribution and thereby provide, when used in addition to a plasticizer and a filler in the preparation of an acrylic sol composition for automobile, high storage stability of the acrylic sol and excellent properties of the coating formed by gelation of the acrylic sol.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for synthesizing carboxylic acids by the carbonylation of alcohol. An alcohol such as methanol is reacted with carbon monoxide in a liquid reaction medium containing a rhodium (Rh) catalyst stabilized with an haloacetic acid, especially trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA), along with alkyl iodide such as methyl iodide (MeI) in specified proportions. The present reaction system is not only characterized by unexpectedly high catalyst stability, but also characterized by the high reaction rate for the formation of acetic acid. The improvement resides in the employment of trifluoroacetic acid as the catalyst promoter at a temperature from 180.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. The primary advantage of the catalyst system of this invention is the enhancement of the rate of carbonylation. The other advantage of the catalyst system is that they are readily soluble and thermally stable, making them resistant to deposition.