Process for producing isocyanates

A process for producing isocyanates comprising the steps of

• a) providing a component with an azolide moiety and optionally a solvent,
• b) adding an acid at a temperature below about 40° C.,
• c) optionally heating the composition to a temperature above about 70° C. and
• d) optionally removing or isolating the isocyanate from the reaction mixture;
• wherein the acid has a pKa-value below about 2,
• wherein the process is conducted under non-aqueous conditions, and
• wherein the isocyanate is characterized by the following structure:
• G-K—NCO (1)
• with G comprising an acyloyl moiety and
• K being a C2 to C12 saturated or unsaturated linear, branched, cyclic alkylidene or aromatic residue or a combination thereof, wherein hydrogen might be replaced by halogen and wherein the carbon chain can be interrupted by one, two, three or four oxygen atoms.