Abstract: A continuous method of carbonylating an epoxide and/or lactone with carbon monoxide with improved catalyst efficiency and reactor productivity is comprised of reacting the epoxy and/or lactone in a solvent with carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature of at least 80° C. and an amount of water that is at most about 150 ppm of the effluent from the reactor. The amount of water in any of the ingredients used in a method of the invention is desirably substantially below the aforementioned water concentration in the effluent from the reactor. Likewise, in a method of the invention, the amount of polyether byproduct is substantially absent. The methods may be performed without recycling of the catalyst.

Abstract: A hybrid vertical plug flow reactor is comprised of a bottom inlet and a top outlet having vertical tubular member disposed there between, wherein the bottom inlet has separate gas reactant inlet and separate liquid reactant inlet whereby the gas reactant is mixed with the liquid reactant and the outlet has an extraction port, the extraction port extending sufficiently to withdraw the liquid product from the reactor and maintain a gaseous head space within the tubular member of the reactor. The hybrid vertical bubble plug flow reactor is useful to react a gas reactant and liquid reactant that are reacted at a molar ratio of gas reactant/liquid reactant that is in excess of a stoichiometric requirement of gas reactant so that the gas reactant forms bubbles and the reactants react in the presence of a catalyst to form a reaction product.

Abstract: A hybrid vertical plug flow reactor is comprised of a bottom inlet and a top outlet having vertical tubular member disposed there between, wherein the bottom inlet has separate gas reactant inlet and separate liquid reactant inlet whereby the gas reactant is mixed with the liquid reactant and the outlet has an extraction port, the extraction port extending sufficiently to withdraw the liquid product from the reactor and maintain a gaseous head space within the tubular member of the reactor. The hybrid vertical bubble plug flow reactor is useful to react a gas reactant and liquid reactant that are reacted at a molar ratio of gas reactant/liquid reactant that is in excess of a stoichiometric requirement of gas reactant so that the gas reactant forms bubbles and the reactants react in the presence of a catalyst to form a reaction product.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions comprising polyesters containing a chain of residue of: diols and diesters along the chain, wherein at least a portion of the diesters are 1, 1-diester-1-alkenes, and the chains have alkene groups incorporated into the chains; the composition comprising one or more of the following: i ether groups derived from alcohols, diols, polyols, or a combination thereof obtained via Michael addition to the alkene groups and a residue of the alkene groups remaining after Michael addition; ii the formed polyesters contain one percent or less of residual 1, 1-diester-1-alkene which are unreacted; iii one or more free radical inhibitors; and iv a stabilizer comprising one or more of: oxo acids phosphorous or esters thereof, aluminum sulfate, stannous pyrophosphate, stannous sulfate, aluminum dihydrogenphosphate or decomposition products thereof. The stabilizer is present in an amount sufficient to enhance stability of the polyester without lowering reactivity of the polyester.