Methods of manufacture of thermoplastic polymers

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

• contacting a substituted phthalic anhydride and an organic diamine in the presence of sulfolane at a temperature of greater than 130° C.,
• wherein the substituted phthalic anhydride has a formula
• and
• the organic diamine has a formula
• H2N—R—NH2
• to provide a bis(phthalimide) composition comprising sulfolane and a bis(phthalimide) of the formula
• and
• copolymerizing the bis(phthalimide), a substituted aromatic compound of the formula
• and an alkali metal salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound of the formula
• MO—Z—OM
• in the presence of sulfolane to form a polyetherimide copolymer comprising structural units of the formulas
• wherein in the foregoing formulae
• X, X1, and X2 are each independently 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 comprising at least one of the foregoing;
• 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 comprising at least one of the foregoing;
• G is —C(O)— or —SO2—;
• and
• m is 1 or 2.