United States Patent Office Patented Oct
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3,839,504 United States Patent Office Patented Oct. 1, 1974 2 3,839,504 REACTION OF PHOSPHORUS TRHALDES WITH U.S. Pat. 3, 192,242 discloses a class of compounds PENTAERYTHERITOL AND POLYMERIC PHOS based upon the reaction of a halogen with an inter PHITE PRODUCTS THEREOF mediate compound which is obtainable by the reaction of Keith A. Hughes and Ronald N. Redline, Waterbury, pentaerythritol with phosphorus trihalide at a molar ratio Conn., assignsors to Uniroyal, Inc., New York, N.Y. 5 of 1:2. The reference discloses a side reaction of the No Drawing. Filed Aug. 4, 1971, Ser. No. 169,053 pentaerythritol with phosphorus trichloride, but the nt. C. C67f 9/08 product depicted is clearly a reaction product of a 1:2 U.S. C. 260-921 12 Claims molar ratio. A 1:2 molar ratio is outside of the molar ratio used in the present invention. O U.S. Pats. 3,159,602; 3,364,285; 3,169,863 and ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE 3,090,799 utilize the reaction product of pentaerythritol A class of polymeric organic phosphites formed by With phosphoryl chloride or phosphorus oxychloride as the reaction of phosphorus trihalide with pentaerythritol intermediate for plasticizers, photographic emulsion at molar ratios of from 0.5 to 1.25:1 said organic phos Sensisitizers or flame resistant polymers. phite polymer being a liquid at standard conditions and The present invention differs from the four patents which polymer contains between 2% and 43% by weight mentioned above in the following respects: halogen and possesses an average hydroxyl number of 1. The reactants in the present invention are clearly 20-1000. defined to be phosphorus trihalides are not phosphorus oxychloride or phosphoryl chloride. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 20 2. The products of the instant invention contain free hydroxyl groups that are available as reactive sites for 1. Field of the Invention formation of polyurethanes and polyesters. The inter The invention relates to a novel class of polymeric mediate of the above cited prior art contain no such hy phosphites which are formed by the reaction of phos droxyl groups. phorus trihalide with pentaerythritol in molar ratios of 25 from 0.5 to 1.25:1. The polymeric phosphites are useful SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION flame retardants and can be reacted with polyurethane The invention relates to a novel class of phosphite systems or blended with other polymeric matrices to polymers which are formed by the fraction of a phos provide flame resistance thereto. phorus trihalide PX (where X is chlorine, bromine or 30 iodine) with pentaerythritol C(CHOH). It is 2. Description of the Prior Art essential that the molar ratio of reactants (phosphorus U.S. Pat. 3,192,243 discloses a class of compounds trihalide to pentaerythritol) be within the range of 0.5:1 based on the reaction product of pentaerythritol and to 1.25:1. The products resulting from such reaction are phosphorous trihalides in molar ratios ranging from 1:1.5 viscous liquids containing phosphorus, halogens and free to 1:6. The resultant products are crystalline solids with 35 hydroxyl groups, possess between 2% and 43% (by melting points greater than 205 C. and a halogen content Weight) halogen and have an average hydroxyl number of less than 2%. 3. between 20 and 1,000. The present invention is distinguishable from the cite In order for a flame retardant to be effective, it gen prior art in the following respect: erally must contain one and preferably both of the 1. The molar ratios of pentaerythritol to phosphorus 40 following elements: a halogen and/or phosphorus, a trihalide are different than the stated ratios in the patent. charring agent. Previously, most commercial flame re 2. The formation of the compounds in the reference tardants were nothing more than highly halogenated is dependent upon rapid removal of hydrogen halide phosphites or phosphates which were physically blended during the reaction of the phosphorus trihalide with with a polymer or other matrix. Recently, manufacturers pentaerythritol. According to the reference the rapid re 45 have come to realize the necessity of having flame re moval of hydrogen halide is necessary to keep the halo tardants that coreact with the substrate. These reactive gen content of the compounds at a minimum. In the type flame retardants represent an integral part of the present invention, the presence of hydrogen halide in the polymeric structure and do not signicantly modify the reaction mixtures is essential in order to prepare com physical properties of said polymer. It has been found pounds having halogen contents of greater than 2% by 50 also that reactive type flame retardants exhibit very little weight, loss of activity during heat aging while additive types 3. The compounds claimed in said patent do not generally destroy the natural heat stability of the sub possess free aliphatic hydroxyl groups, whereas the com Strate leaving it very vulnerable to burning. The com pounds in the present invention possess free aliphatic hy pounds of the present invention possess the commercial droxyl groups which form an integral part of these 55 ly desirable properties noted above. compounds. In particular the compounds possess free hydroxyl U.S. Pat. 3,210,398 discloses a series of compounds groups available for reaction with isocyanates for the derived from an intermediate compound which is pre production of polyurethanes. pared by reacting pentaerythritol and phosphorus tri chloride at a molar ratio of 1:2. The examples state that 60 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED this intermediate is a crystalline solid melting at 121 EMBODIMENTS 23° C. The polymeric phosphites of the present invention are The present invention is distinguishable from this refer prepared by reacting pentaerythritol with a phosphorus ence because: trihalide at the ratios of 1.0 mole of pentaerythritol to 1. The molar ratios of the present invention are not 65 from 0.5 mole to 1.25 moles of phosphorus trihalide. within in the ratio limits of the reference patent; Suitable phosphorus trihalides are phosphorus tribro 2. The compounds of the present invention contain free mide, phosphorus trichloride and phosphorus triiodide, hydroxyl groups, whereas, the compounds in the reference preferably phosphorus tribromide. These ratios are cal do not; and culated to give products containing specific amounts of 3. The compounds of the present invention are viscous free hydroxy groups. The preferred reaction in the liquids as opposed to a crystalline solid as stated in the present invention is 1.0 mole of pentaerythritol to 1.0 prior art reference. mole of phosphorus tribromide. 3,839,504 3 4. The products of the present invention are formed by hydrogen bromide formed from the reaction of pentaeryth reacting pentaerythritol and phosphorus trihalide at the ritol and phosphorous tribromide. When phosphorus tri molar ratios indicated above to form trialkyl phosphites. chloride is used, as one of the reactants, the product may Structures A through C represent some of the possible contain from 2 to 18% chlorine, indicating up to a 100% phosphites formed, although these structures are not 5 rearrangement of trialkyl phosphite to dialkyl phosphite. inclusive and many variations are possible. Structure A Rearrangements beyond 50% are difficult to achieve with represents a monomeric phosphite, while B and C repre the chlorine-containing compound. When phosphorus tri sent polymeric phosphites: bromide is used as one of the reactants a product contain CH-O ing up to 43% bromine content may be obtained, indicat / N O ing up to 100% rearrangement. Once the dialkyl phosphite HO-CH-C-CH-O-P (A) is formed, no further reaction occurs because said dialkyl CH-O phosphite is essentially unreactive with hydrogen halides. Further evidence that the rearrangement has occurred is HO-CH CH-O the appearance of a sharp band at 4.2 microns in the in Ho–c. CH-0, Dog 5 frared spectrum of the product. This band is a character CH-O P-(B) istic band of dialkyl phosphites and is not present in the /S P-O-CH, spectrum of a trialkyl phosphite. HO-CE: CH-O Another feature of the present invention is that the final CH-O HO-C (C) Ho-c / N CH-OH reaction product may contain a mixture of said halides. C C 20 In this situation, it is preferred that the majority of halo / N / N gen substitution in the polymer of the present invention be HO-CE, C-O O-Ca CH-O--Prav bromine. f One aspect of this invention noted above is that the CH-OH compounds are viscous liquid products instead of solid o-c C 25 products as taught in the prior art. Due to the ease of / mixing, the use of a liquid product has a distinct advantage HO-CH CH-O-Pav when working with the viscous polyols for making poly During the reaction, a large amount of hydrogen halide urethanes. It is in this respect, therefore, that the molar gas is evolved (3 moles of hydrogen halide for each mole ratios of pentaerythritol to phosphorus trihalide are criti of phosphorus trihalide). Although a substantial amount 30 cal. At less than 0.5 mole of phosphorus trihalide per of this gas is lost to the atmosphere, enough of it is mole of pentaerythritol, the resultant reaction product is retained in the reaction mixture to react with the trialkyl low melting solid. At more than 1.25 moles of phosphorus phosphites. This reaction is known as the Arbuzov re trihalide per mole of pentaerythritol solid materials are arrangement, and is illustrated in the equations which formed. It is in the range of 0.5 to 1.25 moles of phos follow wherein A and B are trialkyl phosphites, and X phorus trihalide per mole of pentaerythritol that the com is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlo pounds are viscous liquids containing the desired combi rine, bromine and iodine.