PRODUCTION OF POLYGLYCEROL MONOALKYL ETHER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce a linear polyglycerol monoalkyl ether, useful in the medicinal and biochemical fields and having primary hydroxyl groups by adding a glycidyl ester to an aliphatic alcohol and then carrying out the saponification treatment of the resultant adduct with an alkali. SOLUTION: (B) A glycidyl ester of formula I (R CO is a 2-24C acyl) is added to (A) an aliphatic alcohol of the formula R OH (R is an 8-24C aliphatic hydrocarbon group) and the saponification treatment of the resultant adduct is then carried out with an alkali to eliminate the acyl groups derived from the component (B). Thereby, a linear compound comprising a hydroxymethylethyleneoxy structure having primary hydroxyl groups of formula II [(n) is the average number of added mol of glycerol constituent units and 2-10] as a recurring unit is obtained. The component (B) is preferably glycidyl acetate.