Polyetherimide of improved color and process of preparing

A method for the manufacture of a polyetherimide composition, the method comprising:

• contacting a bis(phthalimide) having the formula
• with an alkali metal salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound having the formula
• MO—Z—OM,
• in an oil-jacketed reactor, in the presence of a catalyst and 0 to 10% of a capping agent, and at an oil temperature of 150° C. to 320° C., or 180° C. to 240° C., or 188° C. to 192° C., to form a polyetherimide comprising structural units having the formula
• wherein in the foregoing formulae
• X is fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, nitro, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing;
• R is an aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 27 carbon atoms, a halogenated derivative thereof, a straight or branched chain alkylene group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, a halogenated derivative thereof, a cycloalkylene group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, a halogenated derivative thereof, —(C6H10)z— wherein z is an integer from 1 to 4, an aromatic hydrocarbyl moiety having from 1 to 6 aromatic groups, and a divalent group of the formula
• wherein Q1 is —O—, —S—, —C(O)—, —SO2—, —SO—, —CyH2y— wherein y is an integer from 1 to 5, or a combination thereof;
• M is an alkali metal;
• Z is an aromatic C6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, or a combination thereof;
• and
• n is an integer greater than 1;
• and
• wherein the polyetherimide has a Yellowness Index of from less than 93 to 50.