Stabilized levulinic ester ketals

1. A process to prepare a plasticizer, wherein the plasticizer has a molecular weight of greater than 300 with at least 2 alkyl ketal ester moieties, comprising the step:

contacting under reaction conditions, an alkyl ketal ester, a multihydric hydrocarbyl moiety, or a monohydric alkyl ketal ester; a catalyst; an antioxidant; and optionally a thermal stabilizer or mixtures thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer has a formula comprising:

or

combinations thereof, wherein

each a, independently, is selected from 0 or an integer of 1 to 12;

each b, independently, is 0 or 1;

c is from 0 to 12;

d is 0 or 1;

each e, independently, is from 0 to 12;

each f, independently, is from 0 to 12;

each i is 0 or 1;

each j, independently, is 0 to 100;

each R 1 , independently, is a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently methylene, alkylmethylene, or dialkylmethylene;

R 5 is a hydrogen or

R 6 is a hydrocarbyl group or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 7 , independently, is a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 8 , independently, is a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 10 , independently, is a hydrocarbyl or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

R 11 is a hydrocarbyl group, or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

R 12 , is a covalent bond, a hydrocarbyl group or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 14 , independently, is a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl, or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 15 , independently, is a hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl, or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

each R 19 , independently, is a hydrocarbyl group, a substituted hydrocarbyl group, or a hydrocarbyl group substituted with up to 5 hydroxyl groups;

each R 23 is a hydrocarbyl group or substituted hydrocarbyl group having between 1 and 12 carbon atoms

each Z, independently, is —O—, —NH— or —NR— where R is a hydrocarbyl or a substituted hydrocarbyl group;

n is from 1 to 100;

s is at least one;

v is from 0 to 100;

w is from 1 to 100;

x is at least 1;

y is 0 or a positive number.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the plasticizer is the compound of formula (IV) wherein R 11 is a C4 alkyl.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein each a=2 and each b=0.