PROCESS FOR PRODUCING POLYARYLENE SULFIDE

摘要

Provided is a production process which eliminates the drawback that the conversion of a cyclic polyarylene sulfide into a polyarylene sulfide requires a high temperature and a long time period and by which a polyarylene sulfide can be obtained at a low temperature in a short time period. The process for producing a polyarylene sulfide is characterized by heating a cyclic polyarylene sulfide in the presence of a compound of a transition metal having a valence of 0. Examples of the compound of a zero-valent transition metal include complexes including nickel, palladium, platinum, silver, ruthenium, rhodium, copper, silver, or gold as a metal species. It is preferred to heat the cyclic polyarylene sulfide in the presence of 0.001-20 mol% the transition metal compound relative to the sulfur atoms contained in the cyclic polyarylene sulfide.