Abstract: A method of making a low-fluoride reactive PIB composition includes in one embodiment: a) providing an isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock by way of blending a first mixed C4 feedstock with a second feedstock having a lower LB/IsoB index; (b) feeding the isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock to a polymerization reactor with a catalyst complex comprising BF3 and a modifier selected from alcohols, ethers and mixtures thereof; (c) polymerizing the isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock in the reactor while maintaining the reactor at a temperature above ?40° C. and most preferably above ?15° C. and utilizing a residence time less than 45 minutes to produce a crude PIB composition in a polymerization mixture; and (d) recovering a purified PIB composition from the polymerization mixture having a molecular weight, Mn, from 250 to 5000 Daltons and an alpha vinylidene content of at least 50 mol %.

Abstract: A method of making a low-fluoride reactive PIB composition includes (a) providing a modified C4 feedstock by way of blending a mixed C4 feedstock with a second feedstock having a lower LB/IsoB ratio; or providing a C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10%; (b) feeding the modified C4 feedstock or the C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10% to a CSTR with a homogeneous catalyst comprising BF3 and a modifier selected from alcohols, ethers and mixtures thereof; (c) polymerizing the modified C4 feedstock or the C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10% in the reactor while maintaining the reactor at a temperature above ?15° C. and utilizing a residence time less than 45 minutes to produce a crude PIB composition in a polymerization mixture; and (d) recovering a purified PIB composition from the polymerization mixture having a molecular weight, Mn, from 250 to 5000 Daltons and an alpha vinylidene content of at least 50 mol %.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of chlorinating the side chains of an aromatic compound having the general formula where each R is independently selected from R′ or OR′, each R′ is independently selected from alkyl from C1 to C6, and n is an integer from 1 to 3. Some of the aromatic compound is incompletely &agr;-chlorinated using about 0.1 to about 0.6 equivalents of chlorine per equivalent of the aromatic compound. The &agr;-chlorinated aromatic compound is separated from unreacted aromatic compound and the &agr;-chlorinated aromatic compound is further chlorinated. The two step chlorination of the aromatic compound reduces ring chlorination.