Process for preparing alkali metal alkoxides

1. A process for preparing an alcoholic solution of an alkali metal alkoxide, comprising:

a) reacting an alkali metal hydroxide with an alcohol in a reaction column, wherein:

i) said an alkali metal hydroxide and said alcohol flow in countercurrent to one another in said reaction column;

ii) alcohol vapors are withdrawn from said reaction column and divided into a reflux that is fed back into said reaction column and a distillate, with the ratio of reflux to distillate (reflux ratio) of at least 0.05; and

b) recovering said alcoholic solution of an alkali metal alkoxide from said reaction column, wherein water is not removed from the alcohol vapors being refluxed back into said reaction column.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said alkali metal hydroxide is in the form of an aqueous solution, alcoholic solution or an aqueous solution comprising an alcohol.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein a solution of said alkali metal hydroxide is fed into the top of said reaction column.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein said alcohol is fed into said reaction column in gaseous form at least twenty trays below the feed point of the solution of the alkali metal hydroxide.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein said distillate which is not recycled to the reaction column is separated in a further process step into water and said alcohol, and the alcohol recovered in this further process step is recycled to the reaction column.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein said alcohol is methanol.

7. The process of claim 5 , wherein the total alcohol metered into the reaction column has an average water content of 200 to 450 ppm (m/m), said total alcohol comprising both alcohol recovered in said further process step and any fresh alcohol added to said reaction column.

8. The process of claim 5 , wherein said distillate is separated into water and alcohol using a rectification column that is connected to said reaction column.

9. The process of claim 8 , wherein said rectification column has a higher pressure than said reaction column.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein said distillate which is not recycled to the reaction column is conducted into said rectification column via a vapor compressor.

11. The process of claim 8 , wherein said reaction column has a higher pressure than said rectification column.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein, after the removal of water, said alcohol is recycled back to said reaction column via a vapour compressor.

13. The process of claim 8 , wherein fresh alcohol is added to a condenser or condensate vessel on the rectification column.

14. A process for preparing an alcoholic solution of an alkali metal alkoxide, comprising reacting an alkali metal hydroxide and an alcohol in a reaction column, wherein:

a) said alkali metal hydroxide is fed into said reaction column as a solution at a first site and said alcohol is fed into said reaction column as gas at a second site below said first site, so that said alcohol and said alkali metal hydroxide flow in countercurrent in said reaction column;

b) alcohol vapors are withdrawn from said reaction column at a site above said second site and divided into a reflux that is fed back into said reaction column and a distillate that is not fed back into said reaction column, with the reflux ratio of said reflux to said distillate being at least 0.05 wherein water is not removed from the alcohol vapors being refluxed into said reaction column.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein said second site is at least twenty trays below said first site.

16. The process of claim 14 , wherein said alcohol is methanol.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein said alkali metal hydroxide consists of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

18. The process of claim 17 , wherein said distillate which is not recycled to the reaction column is separated into water and said alcohol on a rectification column and the alcohol recovered after this separation is recycled to the reaction column.