Preparation of mixtures of diphenylmethane diisocyanates and polyphenylpolymethylene polyisocyanates having a reduced iodine color number

Abstract

Mixtures of diphenylmethane diisocyanates and polyphenylpolymethylene polyisocyanates (crude MDI) having a reduced iodine color number are prepared by reacting the corresponding mixtures of diphenylmethanediamines and polyphenylpolymethylene-polyamines with phosgene in the presence of one or more inert organic solvents at elevated temperatures by a process in which low molecular weight alkanols, polyhydric alcohols, preferably dihydric to octahydric alcohols having a molecular weight of from 60 to 350, or mixtures thereof are incorporated in an effective amount, advantageously in an amount of from 0.01 to 5% by weight, based on the weight of crude MDI, into the reaction mixture after the end of the phosgenation, the phosgene and the inert organic solvent are then separated off, from 0 to 5% by weight, based on the weight of crude MDI, of one or more phenol-based antioxidants and/or aryl phosphite are added to the reaction product, and the reaction mixture is subjected to a thermal treatment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.