摘要 |
This invention relates to improvement to a process for the preparation of mercaptoalcohols containing, more particularly, up to 24 carbon atoms and, preferably, more than 3 carbon atoms, by reaction of the corresponding vicinal epoxides with hydrogen sulphide. The process comprises incorporating into the reaction mixture a catalyst comprising a guanidine and/or of organic derivatives of a guanidine, and/or of guanidine salts, in particular of guanidine salts. The catalyst can be either in liquid and/or solid form, depending on the nature of the catalyst and its solubility in the reaction mixture, or fixed and/or impregnated into various solid materials. The materials can be organic in nature such as neutral and/or basic polymer resins, polymers or copolymers, or can be inorganic in nature such as alumninas, silicas, aluminosilicates, zeolites, active charcoals, oxides and/or metal salts. This process enables mercaptoalcohols to be obtained in a high overall yield while permitting relatively short reaction times.
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