Process for the production of polyphenylene oxides

摘要

A process for the production of polyphenylene oxides by the oxidative coupling of a diorthosubstituted phenol of the formula: <IMAGE> wherein R and R' are an n-alkyl radical with 1 to about 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl radical in the presence of an oxidizing gas and an activated copper(II)-amine catalyst made of copper(II) salts, secondary aliphatic or cyclic amines having about 4 to 10 carbon atoms, and hydrobromides of the same or different secondary aliphatic or cyclic amines having about 4 to 10 carbon atoms, in a solvent mixture of a C6-C8 aromatic hydrocarbon and a C1-C4 aliphatic alcohol.