Method for the preparation of improved resinous polyalcohols and compositions thereby obtained

Claim 1

METHOD WHICH COMPRISES ETHERIFYING A PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE NOVOLAK WHICH IS BASED ESSENTIALLY ON THE COMMON, TRIFUNCTIONAL PHENOL, C6H5OH, AND WHICH HAS FROM THREE TO TEN PHENOLIC UNITS PER MOLECULE, IN THE PRESENCE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 0.2 AND 1.5 PERCETN BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE NOVOLAK BEING ETHERIFIED, OF AN ALKLI METAL HYDROXIDE CATALYST AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 100 AND 220*C. WITH INITIALLY, FOR EACH PHENOLIC UNIT TO THE NOVOLAK FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT 1.0 MOLE OF STYRENE OXIDE AND THEN FROM ABOUT 1.2 TO ABOUT 0.25 MOLE OF A RELATIVELY MORE ACTIVE ORGANIC OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP OF ORGANIC EPOXIDES CONSISTING OF ALKYLENE OXIDES CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS IN THEIR MOLECULE; HYDROXY ALKYLENE OXIDES CONTAINING FROM 3 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS IN THEIR MOLECULE; AND ARYL GLYCIDYL ETHERS, AND CONTINUING THE REACTION UNTIL AT LEAST ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF THE PHENOLIC HYDROXYL GROUPS ORIGINALLY PRESENT IN THE NOVOLAK ARE ESTERIFIED.