PRODUCTION AND PURIFICATION OF PHOSPHINE OXIDE

摘要

PURPOSE: Provided is a production of a high purity phosphine oxide in a high yield which is useful for a catalyst in polymerizing alkylene oxide compounds by reacting a specific iminophosphorane with phosphorus oxychloride in an aprotic organic solvent having a dielectric constant. CONSTITUTION: Phosphine oxide of the formula(2) is manufactured by reacting iminophosphoranes such as iminotris(dimethylamino) phosphorane represented by formula(1) (wherein R is a C1-10 hydrocarbon or two Rs on the same nitrogen atom may be combined with each other into a ring structure) with phosphorus oxychloride in an aprotic organic solvent such as toluene having a dielectric constant of over 2.2 at 20 deg.C. Purification of the phosphine oxide preferably is carried out by washing a solution containing both the phosphine oxide and a water-immiscible organic solvent with water to form a phosphine oxide solution and by concentrating the solution to dryness.