GB1201909A - Production of polyesters - Google Patents

Abstract

1,201,909. Polymerized lactones and polyurethanes obtained therefrom. LAPORTE CHEMICALS Ltd. 16 Aug., 1968 [17 May, 1967; 17 May, 1968], Nos. 22815/67 and 23516/68. Headings C3P and C3R. Polyesters, preferably of molecular weight 1,500 to 20,000. are made by polymerizing certain lactones in the presence of an initiator and a catalyst comprising an organic carboxylic or sulphonic acid having a pK a value of less than 2À0 at 25‹ C., e.g. monochloroacetic, dichloroacetic, trichloroacetic, bromoacetic or trifluoracetic acids or benzene aulphonic, toluene sulphonic or ethane sulphonic acids The lactones are of formula where n is 4 to 7 and R is a methyl, ethyl, npropyl or isopropyl group or a hydrogen, chlorine or bromine atom provided that the (CR 2 ) n group contains not more than 12 carbon atoms and not more than 2 halogen atoms. The initiators are monomeric or polymeric compounds containing one or more hydroxyl and/or amino groups. At the end of the reaction the catalyst may be removed from the polyester, e.g. by sparging the latter with nitrogen or by heating it to 120‹ C. under vacuum. Examples describe the polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone or a mixture thereof with methyl episilon-caprolactones. Polynrethanes are made by reacting the linear or branched polyesters with an excess of a polyisocyanate and reacting the resulting polymer with or carrying out the urethane-forming reaction in the presence of water or a polyfunctional alcohol or amine. In Examples 13, 16, 17, 18, 22 and 25, polyurethane rubbers were made by reacting a polyester with tolylene diisocyanate and reacting the product with di-(4- amino-3-chlorophenyl) methane. In Example 19 a polyurethane rubber was made by reacting a polyester with naphthalene-1: 5-diisocyanate and reacting the product with 1: 4-butanediol. In Example 21, a polyurethane rubber was made by reacting a polyester with di-(4-isocyanato-phenyl) methane and butane-1: 4-diol. In Example 26 a polyurethane film was made by reacting a polyester with di-(4-isocyanatophenyl) methane, dissolving the prepolymer in dimethyl formamide, adding ethylene diamine and a little phosphoric acid and thereafter casting. An unsaturated polyester was made in Example 20 by polymerizing epsilon-caprolactone in the presence of a polyester of ethylene glycol and maleic anhydride-the product was dissolved in styrene and the whole copolymerized using M.E.K. peroxide and cobalt naphthenate as catalyst. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specifications 859,642 and 859,645.