A method for preparing the borate ester using a lithium compound includes: under the inert gas, stirring and mixing carboxylic acid and borane, and a catalyst lithium compound is added, then the borate ester is obtained with hydroboration; wherein the hydroboration is at room temperature for 10 to 80 min. After the hydroboration and is stopped by contacting air, the solvent is removed under reduced pressure, to obtain the borate esters with different substituents. The lithium compounds are n-butyl lithium, lithium aniline, p-methyl lithium aniline, o-methyl lithium aniline, 2-methoxyaniline lithium, 4-methoxyaniline lithium, 2,6-dimethylaniline lithium, and 2,6-diisopropylaniline lithium. The lithium compounds disclosed in the present invention can catalyze the boron hydrogenation reaction of carboxylic acid and borane with high activity under room temperature conditions; the amount of lithium compound is 0.1-0.9% of the molar amount of carboxylic acid.

A method for preparing the borate ester using a lithium compound includes: under the inert gas, stirring and mixing carboxylic acid and borane, and a catalyst lithium compound is added, then the borate ester is obtained with hydroboration; wherein the hydroboration is at room temperature for 10 to 80 min. After the hydroboration and is stopped by contacting air, the solvent is removed under reduced pressure, to obtain the borate esters with different substituents. The lithium compounds are n-butyl lithium, lithium aniline, p-methyl lithium aniline, o-methyl lithium aniline, 2-methoxyaniline lithium, 4-methoxyaniline lithium, 2,6-dimethylaniline lithium, and 2,6-diisopropylaniline lithium. The lithium compounds disclosed in the present invention can catalyze the boron hydrogenation reaction of carboxylic acid and borane with high activity under room temperature conditions; the amount of lithium compound is 0.1-0.9% of the molar amount of carboxylic acid.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of ethylene glycol from ethylene, which comprises contacting the carbon dioxide stream resulting from hydrolysing ethylene carbonate, or the condensate stream resulting from condensing said carbon dioxide stream, or the waste water stream resulting from removing water from the ethylene glycol stream, such stream comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising 2-iodoethanol or 2-bromoethanol, with an alkali metal containing basic compound to form a mixture comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising alkali metal iodide or alkali metal bromide which mixture is dehydrated.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of ethylene glycol from ethylene, which comprises contacting the carbon dioxide stream resulting from hydrolysing ethylene carbonate, or the condensate stream resulting from condensing said carbon dioxide stream, or the waste water stream resulting from removing water from the ethylene glycol stream, such stream comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising 2-iodoethanol or 2-bromoethanol, with an alkali metal containing basic compound to form a mixture comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising alkali metal iodide or alkali metal bromide which mixture is dehydrated.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of ethylene glycol from ethylene, which comprises contacting the carbon dioxide stream resulting from hydrolysing ethylene carbonate, or the condensate stream resulting from condensing said carbon dioxide stream, or the waste water stream resulting from removing water from the ethylene glycol stream, such stream comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising 2-iodoethanol or 2-bromoethanol, with an alkali metal containing basic compound to form a mixture comprising water, 2-chloroethanol and ethylene glycol and additionally comprising alkali metal iodide or alkali metal bromide which mixture is dehydrated.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.