Low by-product content polyphenylene polymethylene polyisocyanates

Abstract

The invention relates to polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates having an NCO number of at least 29% comprising less than 2% by weight ureas, less than 8% by weight carbodiimides or uretonimines and less than 1000 ppm organic chlorine compounds. The polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates can be prepared according to the invention by reacting (i) polyphenyl polymethylene polyamines with organic carbonates to give the corresponding polyphenyl polymethylene polycarbamates, (ii) by thermally cleaving the polyphenyl polymethylene polycarbamates to give the polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates, wherein, prior to the thermal cleavage, the free amino groups or urea groups present in the carhamate crude mixture comprising the polyphenyl polymethylene polycarbamates are reacted with a derivatizing reagent to give amide groups or urethane groups. The polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates can further be prepared according to the invention, prior to the thermal cleavage, by removing compounds having free amino groups or urea groups present in the carbamate crude mixture from the carbamate crude mixture by filtration of the carbamate crude mixture comprising the polyphenyl polymethylene polycarbamates over a solid acidic adsorbent in the presence of an acid dissolved in the carbamate crude mixture.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.