Process for the preparation of catalyst-free polyphenylene ethers

• Main Authors: SWOBODA,JOHANN,DR, MUENCH,VOLKER,.DR, NAARMANN,HERBERT,.DR, HAMBRECHT,JUERGEN,.DR
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; German
• Published: 21.04.1983
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of high-molecular-weight, alkyl-substituted polyphenylene ethers from monohydric phenols by oxidative coupling reaction with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst complex comprising a metal salt and an organic amine in the presence of a solvent, where the metal-ion component of the catalyst is removed from the reaction solution by addition of a chelating agent (I) and a phosphonium salt of the formula (II): in which R , R , R and R are alkyl, alkenyl, aryl and/or aralkyl groups, and X is an inorganic anion. The chelating agent (I) is a polycarboxylic acid, aminocarboxylic acid, aminopolycarboxylic acid, polyalkylenic acid, polyaminic acid, polycarboxylic acid, a polymercaptide and/or polyamine, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or the mono-, di-, tri- or tetrasodium salts thereof, a trimercapto- s-triazine or the mono-, di- or trisodium salts thereof, a nitrilodi- or -triacetic acid or the mono-, di- or trisodium salts thereof, glycine or the sodium salt thereof.