Method for the control of diamine catalyzed polyphenylene ether polymerization
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorGlenn Dale Cooper
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Abstract
A process is disclosed for the oxidative coupling of a 2,6-di-substituted phenolic monomer with a complex copper-diamine catalyst which is moderated by the addition of a small amount of water.
Claims19
In a process for forming a polyphenylene ether resin by the oxidative coupling of a 2,6-disubstituted phenolic compound in the presence of a catalyst which comprises a copper compound, a diamine of the formula:
- R.sup.1 HN--R.sup.2 --NHR.sup.1
- wherein each R.sup.1 is independently isopropyl, a C.sub.4-8 tertiary alkyl or a cycloalkyl group having no hydrogens on the alpha-carbon atom and R.sup.2 is C.sub.2-4 alkylene or C.sub.3-7 cycloalkylene;
- a tertiary amine, a bromine compound selected from the group consisting of hyrogen bromide, alkali metal bromides, alkaline earth metal bromides, 4-bromophenols and mixtures thereof in the presence of an oxygen containing gas, the improvement which comprises adding to the polymerization reaction an amount of water which will control the rate of polymerization.
In a process for forming a polyphenylene ether by the oxidative coupling of a 2,6-disubstituted phenolic compound, in the presence of a catalyst which comprises a copper compound, N,N'-di-tert-butyl ethylenediamine, a tertiary amine, a bromine compound selected from the group consisting of hydrogen bromide, alkali metal bromides, alkaline earth metal bromides, 4-bromophenols and mixtures thereof in the presence of an oxygen containing gas and a lower alkanol of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms the improvement which comprises adding from 2 to 15% by weight of water based on the amount of said lower alkanol.
In a process for forming a polyphenylene ether by the oxidative coupling of a 2,6-disubstituted phenolic compound, in the presence of a catalyst which comprises a copper compound, N,N'-di-tert-butyl ethylenediamine, a tertiary amine and hydrogen bromide, in the presence of an oxygen containing gas and a lower alkanol of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms the improvement which comprises adding from 2 to 15% by weight of water based on the amount of lower alkanol to the reaction mixture.
In a process for forming poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) by the oxidative coupling of 2,6-xylenol in the presence of a catalyst which a cuprous copper compound, N,N'-di-tert-butyl ethylenediamine, butyldimethyl amine and hydrogen bromide, in the presence of an oxygen containing gas and methanol, the improvement which comprises adding from 2 to 15% by weight of water based on the amount methanol to the reaction mixture, the total amount of methanol and water constituting from 5 to 25% by weight of the polymerization solvent/methanol-water mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.