A method of producing a compound represented by formula (3):

##STR00001##

includes: step (1) of performing coupling of a monodispersed polyethylene glycol derivative represented by formula (4) shown below with a compound represented by formula (5) shown below using a base catalyst having a pKa in an aqueous solution of 15 to 20 to obtain a compound represented by formula (6) shown below, step (2) of deprotecting the protective group A of the compound represented by the formula (6) to obtain a compound represented by formula (7) shown below, and step (3) of subjecting the compound represented by the formula (7) to separatory purification; and step (4) of subjecting the compound represented by the formula (7) to deprotection treatment or reduction treatment to obtain the compound represented by formula (3), in an order described above, where Y.sup.2, n, A, B, and Z are as defined herein:

##STR00002##

Methods are provided for producing bio-oil polyols, alkoxylating bio-oil polyols to provide polyols, and for employing the alkoxylated bio-oil polyols for making polymers or copolymers of polyesters or polyurethanes.

The invention provides a process for producing diol, characterized in that the process comprises the steps of (1-i) addition of alkylene oxide and carbon dioxide to an H-functional starter substance in the presence of a catalyst to obtain polyether carbonate polyol and cyclic carbonate, (1-ii) separation of the cyclic carbonate from the resulting reaction mixture from step (1-i), (1-iii) hydrolytic cleavage of the cyclic carbonate separated from step (1-ii) into carbon dioxide and diol, (1-iv) optionally distillative purification of the diol from step (1-iii), wherein (η) to the cyclic carbonate from step (1-ii) and/or to the diol a Lewis or Brønsted acid, excluding carboxylic acids having a pKa of >3.0, and optionally water are added and the reaction mixture obtained is optionally neutralized.

The present disclosure provides a Lewis acid-base pair catalytic initiator and an application thereof. The Lewis acid-base pair catalytic initiator includes a Lewis acid and a Lewis base, the Lewis acid having a structural general formula as shown in formula (I) and the Lewis base having a structural general formula as shown in formula (II); wherein: the A is selected from element Baron or element Aluminum; the R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 are independently selected from alkyl, alkoxy, aryl or halogen groups; the alkyl or alkoxy have a carbon number being equal to or greater than 1 to equal to or less than 16; the aryl contains substituents with the number being equal to or less than 5, the substituents being selected from methyl, methoxy or halogen; n is selected from an integer from 1 to 16.

Degradable ethylene oxide-based copolymers, including random, tapering, and block copolymers are described. For example, the present disclosure describes materials and methods for synthesizing degradable hydrophilic ethylene oxide-based copolymers, degradable amphiphilic ethylene oxide-based block copolymers, degradable hydrophobic polyethers and degradable functionalized polyethers via boron-activated copolymerization of ethylene oxide monomers with carbon dioxide.

A method of manufacturing a poly(ether-carbonate) polyol comprises a polymerization stage that includes polymerizing carbon dioxide and at least one alkylene oxide, with a starter, in the presence of a double metal cyanide polymerization catalyst and a catalyst promoter that is devoid of halide anions and cyanide. The catalyst promoter is separate from the double metal cyanide polymerization catalyst.

The present invention relates to adhesive formulations for bonding materials, comprising 40 to 80 wt.-% of an epoxy monomer, and 15 to 30 wt.-% of an oxetane monomer, and 0.1 to 10 wt.-% of an adhesion promotor, and 0.1 to 5 wt.-% of a sensitizer, and 1 to 10 wt.-% of a radiation and temperature activable photoinitiator or a mixture of a photoinitiator and a thermal initiator. Further, the present invention relates to a method for bonding at least two parts of which one is at least an inert material, comprising the steps applying to one part an adhesive formulation as described, placing another part to be bond on the one part, exposing the parts to UV light radiation and heat treating of the part.

The present invention provides a process for removing gaseous constituents dissolved in liquid reaction mixtures in the copolymerization of alkylene oxide and carbon dioxide, characterized in that (η) prior to decompression the liquid reaction mixture has a pressure of 5.0 to 100.0 bar (absolute), wherein the following process stages are performed in the specified sequence: (i) decompression of the reaction mixture by at least 50% of the prevailing pressure, (ii) subsequent droplet separation with first defoaming and (iii) subsequent bubble separation with second defoaming to clarify the liquid phase, wherein the process stages (i) to (iii) are performed one or more times until the resulting reaction mixture has a pressure of 0.01 to <5.00 bar (absolute), and also a process for preparing polyethercarbonate polyols comprising the process stages (i)-(iii).

A method of demulsifying crude oil, said method comprising the step of reacting an amount of crude oil with a polyester demulsifier, therein the demulsifier is used in quantities from 0.0001% to 5% (1-50,000 ppm), preferably 0.0005% to 2% (5-20,000 ppm), more preferably 0.0008% to 1% (8-10,000 ppm) and most preferably 0.001 to 0.1 wt. % polymer (10-1,000 ppm) related to the oil fraction of the utilized emulsion.

A process for preparing polyol, wherein, in a first process stage, a diol is prepared by a process comprising: (1-i) adding alkylene oxide and carbon dioxide onto an H-functional starter substance in the presence of a catalyst to obtain polyethercarbonate polyol and a cyclic carbonate, (1-ii) separating the cyclic carbonate from the resulting reaction mixture from step (1-i), (1-iii) hydrolyzing the cyclic carbonate separated from step (1-ii) to carbon dioxide and diol, and (1-iv) optionally purifying the diol resulting from step (1-iii) by distillation.