PROCESS FOR PRODUCING BISPHENOL A WITH REDUCED SULFUR CONTENT, POLYCARBONATE MADE FROM THE BISPHENOL A, AND CONTAINERS FORMED FROM THE POLYCARBONATE

摘要

In one embodiment, a process for producing a bisphenol A product comprises: reacting phenol with acetone in the presence of a sulfur containing promoter to obtain a reaction mixture comprising bisphenol A, phenol, and the promoter; after reacting the phenol with the acetone, cooling to form a crystal stream comprising crystals of bisphenol A and phenol; separating the crystals from the crystal steam; melting the crystals to form a molten stream of bisphenol A, phenol, and sulfur; contacting the molten stream with a base to reduce a sulfur concentration in the molten stream and form a reduced sulfur stream; and removing phenol from the reduced sulfur stream to form a bisphenol A product. Also disclosed herein is a container comprising: a polycarbonate formed from a bisphenol A having a sulfur concentration of 0.5 to 15 ppm based upon the weight of the bisphenol A.