Polycarbonate containing plant-derived component and process for the preparation thereof

A plant-derived component-containing polycarbonate represented by the following formula (3):

• wherein R1-R4 each independently represent a group selected from among hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl, and n is the number of repeating units, produced by a process of melt polycondensation using as the starting materials a diol represented by the following formula (1), having a total content of Na, Fe and Ca of no greater than 2 ppm and a purity analysis value of at least 99.7% by gas chromatography:
• wherein RI—R4 each independently represent a group selected from among hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl,
• and a carbonic acid diester represented by the following formula (2), having a total content of Na, Fe and Ca of no greater than 2 ppm and a purity analysis value of at least 99.7% by gas chromatography:
• wherein R5 and R6 are groups selected from among alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl, and R5 and R6 may be the same or different groups,
• wherein the polycarbonate satisfies at least one of the following (A) and (B):
• (A) the molar ratio between the total of ends having a structure represented by the following formula (4) and ends having a structure represented by the following formula (5) in the polymer, and diol residues represented by the following formula (6) in the polymer, is 1×10−4 to 0.1:
• R5 in formula (4) and R6 in formula (5) have the same definitions as in formula (2);
• R1, R2, R3 and R4 in formula (6) have the same definitions as in formula (1);
• (B) the molar ratio between the total of ends having a structure represented by the following formula (7) and ends having a structure represented by the following formula (8) in the polymer, and diol residues represented by the following formula (9) in the polymer, is no greater than 1×10−4:
• —O—R5 (7)
• —O—R6 (8)
• R5 in formula (7) and R6 in formula (8) have the same definitions as in formula (2);
• R1, R2, R3 and R4 in formula (9) have the same definitions as in formula (1).