Preparation of Hydroxyphenyl Phosphine Oxide Mixtures

摘要

A hydroxyphenyl or alkoxyphenyl phosphine oxide composition comprising (i) a first mixture of mono-(hydroxyphenyl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers, (ii) a second mixture of bis-(hydroxyaryl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers, (iii) a third mixture of tris-(hydroxyaryl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers, and optionally iv) a minority amount of non-hydroxy or non-alkoxy tris-phenyl phosphine oxides is provided. Also provided are epoxy resins compositions with excellent flame retardancy and physical properties, which resins comprise the phosphine oxide composition.

主权项

1. A method of producing a hydroxyphenyl or alkoxyphenyl phosphine oxide composition, the method comprising:
(a) reacting phenol with an alkyl halide having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the presence of an alkali metal base to produce a first product mixture comprising an alkoxybenzene and an alkali metal halide; (b) contacting said first product mixture with an oxidizing agent under conditions such that the alkali metal halide reacts with the alkoxybenzene to produce a first mixture of ortho and para-haloalkoxybenzenes; (c) reacting said first reaction mixture with magnesium; (d) adding a benzene halide to the mixture produced in (c) and reacting the benzene halide with magnesium to produce a mixture of alkoxy and non-alkoxy benzene Grignard reagents; and (e) reacting said mixture of alkoxy and non-alkoxy benzene Grignard reagents with phosphorus oxychloride to produce said alkoxyphenyl phosphine oxide composition comprising: (i) from about 10 to about 50 wt % of a first mixture of mono-(hydroxyphenyl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers each having the formula (I): (ii) from about 30 to about 60 wt % of a second mixture of bis-(hydroxyphenyl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers each having the formula (II): (iii) from about 10 to about 50 wt % of a third mixture of tris-(hydroxyphenyl) or (alkoxyphenyl)phosphine oxide isomers each having the formula (III): iv) 0 to 10 mol % of triphenyl phosphine oxides of the formula IV:wherein x and y are each 0, R is an alkyl group containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and each OR group is in the ortho or para position with respect to the bond between the P atom and the associated phenyl group such that, for each mixture (i), (ii) and (iii), the ratio of the number of OR groups in the ortho-position with respect to the bond between the P atom and the associated phenyl group to the number of OR groups in the para-position with respect to the bond between the P atom and the associated phenyl group is from about 20:80 to about 1:99.