Synthesis of Styrenated Phenol Alkoxylate from Styrenated Phenol with Ethylene Carbonate over KOH/La2O3 Catalyst

Styrenated phenol alkoxylates (SP-A) were prepared from styrenated phenol (SP) and ethylene oxide (EO) under a homogeneous base catalyst. However, to use EO that is difficult to handle, a high-pressure reaction device capable of controlling the reaction process should be used. Additionally, when a homogeneous base catalyst is used, a neutralization process is required to remove residual bases after the reaction, and it is also difficult to separate the catalyst and the product. Therefore, in this study, we report the results of SP-A prepared from the reaction of SP and EC using only heterogeneous base catalysts. The heterogeneous base catalyst was obtained by supporting KOH on La2O3 and calcintion. Using EC instead of EO, it was possible to produce SP-A under the atmospheric rather than high-pressure reaction condition. Average molecular weights of synthesized SP-A varied greatly depending on reaction conditions. The average molecular weight of SP-A prepared using the KOH/La2O3 catalyst could be controlled arbitrarily by controlling the reaction temperature and added catalyst and EC amounts.