Polyester anhydrides

Polymers containing ester gronps (linear or cross-linked polyesters, anhydride-cnred epoxies, urethane cross-linked polyesters, polycarbonate, etc.) belong to this category. 

Most naphthalene produced is utilized in the manufacture of phthalic anhydride, for plasticizers, alkyd resins and polyesters. It is also used in the manufacture of 2-naphlhol and insecticides. Naphthalene derivatives are of importance, particularly as dyestufT intermediates. 

Used as fibres, particularly in textiles and film. Many other polyester polymers are of importance, e.g. unsaturated polyester resins from phthalic anhydride, propylene glycol and maleic anhydride used with reinforcement in boats, cars, etc. (alkyd resins). U.S. production 1983 1-7 megatonnes. 

H02C(CH2)2C02H. Colourless prisms m.p. 182 C, b.p. 235°C. Occurs in amber, algae, lichens, sugar cane, beets and other plants, and is formed during the fermentation of sugar, tartrates, malates and other substances by a variety of yeasts, moulds and bacteria. Manufactured by the catalytic reduction of maleic acid or by heating 1,2-dicyanoethane with acids or alkalis. Forms an anhydride when heated at 235°C. Forms both acid and neutral salts and esters. Used in the manufacture of succinic anhydride and of polyesters with polyols. 

Polyesters from polybasic acids and polyhydric alcohols. Alkyd resins. The condensation of polyhydric alcohols and polybasic acids or anhydrides leads to polj esters known as alkyd resins. The most common member of the group is a glycerol - phthahc acid polymer, and this has led to the term glyptal resins being frequently apphed to the whole group. 

Unsaturated Polyesters. Unsaturated polyesters are produced by reaction between two types of dibasic acids, one of which is unsaturated, and an alcohol to produce an ester. Double bonds in the body of the unsaturated dibasic acid are obtained by using maleic anhydride or fumaric acid. 

TALEIC ANHYDRIDE, MALEIC ACID AND FUMARIC ACID] (Vol 15) Fumarate polyester polymers... 

Reactions of the Methyl Groups. These reactions include oxidation, polycondensation, and ammoxidation. PX can be oxidized to both terephthahc acid and dimethyl terephthalate, which ate then condensed with ethylene glycol to form polyesters. Oxidation of OX yields phthaUc anhydride, which is used in the production of esters. These ate used as plasticizers for synthetic polymers. MX is oxidized to isophthaUc acid, which is also converted to esters and eventually used in plasticizers and resins (see Phthalic acids and otherbenzenepolycarboxylic acids). 

Almost all of the OX that is recovered is used to produce phthaUc anhydride. PhthaUc anhydride is a basic building block for plasticizers used in flexible PVC resins, for polyester resins used in glass-reinforced plastics, and for alkyd resins used for surface coatings. OX is also used to manufacture phthalonitrile, which is converted to copper phthalocyanine, a pigment. 

TetrabromophthalicAnhydride. Tetrabromophthalic anhydride [632-79-1] (TBPA) is widely used as a reactive flame retardant in unsaturated polyesters as weU as the precursor to a number of other fine retardants. Polyesters prepared from this compound have relatively poor photochemical stabiUty and tend to discolor upon exposure to light. This tendency to discolor can be reduced, but not eliminated, by the use of uv stabilizers. 

Tetrachlorphthalic Anhydride and Tetrachlorphthalic Acid. Tetrachlorphthalic anhydride [117-08-8] (TCPA) is manufactured by the ferric chloride catalyzed chlorination of phthalic anhydride. The relatively low chlorine content and the lower flame retardant efficiency of the aromatic chlorides limit use to unsaturated polyester resin formulations that do not requite a high degree of flame retardancy. 

Chlorendic Acid. Chlorendic acid [115-28-6] and its anhydride [115-27-5] are widely used flame retardants. Chlorendic acid is synthesized by a Diels-Alder reaction of maleic anhydride and hexachlorocyclopentadiene (see CyclopentadlENE and dicyclopentadiente) in toluene followed by hydrolysis of the anhydride using aqueous base (60). The anhydride can be isolated directly from the reaction mixture or can be prepared in a very pure form by dehydration of the acid. The principal use of chlorendic anhydride and chlorendic acid has been in the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins. Because the esterification rate of chlorendic anhydride is similar to that of phthalic anhydride, it can be used in place of phthalic anhydride in commercial polyester... 

This phosphinic anhydride [15171 -48-9] C H O P, is then reacted with glycol and other precursors of poly(ethylene terephthalate), to produce a flame-retardant polyester [82690-14-0] having phosphinate units of the stmcture —0P(0)(CH2)CH2CH2C00—. Trevira 271 is useflil for children s sleepwear, work clothing, and home flirnishings. A phosphoms content as low as 0.6% is reported to be sufficient for draperies and upholstery tests if melt-drip is not retarded by print pigments or the presence of nonthermoplastic fibers (28). 

Naphthalimides are prepared from naphthaUc anhydride obtained from naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxyhc acid, ie, the oxidation product of acenaphthene or its derivatives, by reaction with amines. They are utilized for synthetic fibers such as polyesters. 

The primary and secondary alcohol functionahties have different reactivities, as exemplified by the slower reaction rate for secondary hydroxyls in the formation of esters from acids and alcohols (8). 1,2-Propylene glycol undergoes most of the typical alcohol reactions, such as reaction with a free acid, acyl hahde, or acid anhydride to form an ester reaction with alkaU metal hydroxide to form metal salts and reaction with aldehydes or ketones to form acetals and ketals (9,10). The most important commercial appHcation of propylene glycol is in the manufacture of polyesters by reaction with a dibasic or polybasic acid. 

Carboxylic acid hydiazides are prepared from aqueous hydrazine and tfie carboxylic acid, ester, amide, anhydride, or halide. The reaction usually goes poody with the free acid. Esters are generally satisfactory. Acyl halides are particularly reactive, even at room temperature, and form the diacyl derivatives (22), which easily undergo thermal dehydration to 1,3,4-oxadiazoles (23). Diesters give dihydtazides (24) and polyesters such as polyacrylates yield a polyhydrazide (25). The chemistry of carboxyhc hydrazides has been reviewed (83,84). 

A polyester-type fluorescent resin matrix (22) is made by heating trimellitic anhydride, propylene glycol, and phthaUc anhydride with catalytic amounts of sulfuric acid. Addition of Rhodamine BDC gives a bright bluish red fluorescent pigment soluble in DME and methanol. It has a softening point of 118°C. Exceptional heat resistance and color brilliance are claimed for products of this type, which are useful for coloring plastics. 

Glycols and epoxides react with maleic anhydride to give linear unsaturated polyesters (61,62). Ethylene glycol and maleic anhydride combine to form the following repeating unit. This reaction is the first step in industrially important polyester resin production (see Polyesters, unsaturated). 

Unsaturated polyester resins prepared by condensation polymerization constitute the largest industrial use for maleic anhydride. Typically, maleic anhydride is esterified with ethylene glycol [107-21-1] and a vinyl monomer or styrene is added along with an initiator such as a peroxide to produce a three-dimensional macromolecule with rigidity, insolubiUty, and mechanical strength. 

Maleic anhydride itself has few, if any, consumer uses but its derivatives are of significant commercial interest (161). The distribution of end uses for maleic anhydride is presented in Table 9 for the year 1992 (182). The majority of the maleic anhydride produced is used in unsaturated polyester resin (see Polyesters, unsaturated). Unsaturated polyester resin is then used in both glass-reinforced appHcations and in unreinforced appHcations as shown in Table 10 (183). 

Lubrication oil additives represent another important market segment for maleic anhydride derivatives. The molecular stmctures of importance are adducts of polyalkenyl succinic anhydrides (see Lubrication and lubricants). These materials act as dispersants and corrosion inhibitors (see Dispersants Corrosion and corrosion control). One particularly important polyalkenyl succinic anhydride molecule in this market is polyisobutylene succinic anhydride (PIBSA) where the polyisobutylene group has a molecular weight of 900 to 1500. Other polyalkenes are also used. Polyalkenyl succinic anhydride is further derivatized with various amines to produce both dispersants and corrosion inhibitors. Another type of dispersant is a polyester produced from a polyalkenyl succinic anhydride and pentaerythritol [115-77-5]. 

Methyl- and dimethylnaphthalenes are contained in coke-oven tar and in certain petroleum fractions in significant amounts. A typical high temperature coke-oven coal tar, for example, contains ca 3 wt % of combined methyl- and dimethylnaphthalenes (6). In the United States, separation of individual isomers is seldom attempted instead a methylnaphtha1 ene-rich fraction is produced for commercial purposes. Such mixtures are used for solvents for pesticides, sulfur, and various aromatic compounds. They also can be used as low freezing, stable heat-transfer fluids. Mixtures that are rich in monomethyinaphthalene content have been used as dye carriers (qv) for color intensification in the dyeing of synthetic fibers, eg, polyester. They also are used as the feedstock to make naphthalene in dealkylation processes. PhthaUc anhydride also can be made from m ethyl n aph th al en e mixtures by an oxidation process that is similar to that used for naphthalene. 

Phthahc anhydride (1) is the commercial form of phthaUc acid (2). The worldwide production capacity for the anhydride was ca 3.5 x 10 metric tons ia 1993, and it was used ia the manufacture of plasticizers (qv), unsaturated polyesters, and alkyd resins (qv) (see Polyesters, unsaturated). Sales of terephthahc acid (3) and its dimethyl ester are by far the largest of any of the benzenepolycarboxyhc acids 14.3 x 10 t were produced in 1993. This is 80% of the total toimage of ah. commercial forms of the benzenepolycarboxyhc acids. Terephthahc acid is used almost exclusively for the manufacture of poly(ethylene terephthalate), which then is formed into textiles, films, containers, and molded articles. Isophthahc acid (4) and trimehitic anhydride (5) are commercial products, but their worldwide production capacities are an order of magnitude smaller than for terephthahc acid and its dimethyl ester. Isophthahc acid is used primarily in the production of unsaturated polyesters and as a comonomer in saturated polyesters. Trimehitic anhydride is used mainly to make esters for high performance poly(vinyl chloride) plasticizers. Trimesic acid (6), pyromehitic dianhydride (7), and hernimehitic acid (8) have specialized commercial apphcations. The rest of the benzenepolycarboxyhc acids are not available commercially. 

Uses. Phthabc anhydride is used mainly in plasticizers, unsaturated polyesters, and alkyd resins (qv). PhthaUc plasticizers consume 54% of the phthahc anhydride in the United States (33). The plasticizers (qv) are used mainly with poly(vinyl chloride) to produce flexible sheet such as wallpaper and upholstery fabric from normally rigid polymers. The plasticizers are of two types diesters of the same monohydric alcohol such as dibutyl phthalate, or mixed esters of two monohydric alcohols. The largest-volume plasticizer is di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate [117-81-7] which is known commercially as dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and is the base to which other plasticizers are compared. The important phthahc acid esters and thek physical properties are Hsted in Table 12. The demand for phthahc acid in plasticizers is naturally tied to the growth of the flexible poly(vinyl chloride) market which is large and has been growing steadily. 

The second largest use at 21% is for unsaturated polyester resins, which are the products of polycondensation reactions between molar equivalents of certain dicarboxyhc acids or thek anhydrides and glycols. One component, usually the diacid or anhydride, must be unsaturated. A vinyl monomer, usually styrene, is a diluent which later serves to fully cross-link the unsaturated portion of the polycondensate when a catalyst, usually a peroxide, is added. The diacids or anhydrides are usually phthahc anhydride, isophthahc acid, and maleic anhydride. Maleic anhydride provides the unsaturated bonds. The exact composition is adjusted to obtain the requked performance. Resins based on phthahc anhydride are used in boat hulls, tubs and spas, constmction, and synthetic marble surfaces. In most cases, the resins contain mineral or glass fibers that provide the requked stmctural strength. The market for the resins tends to be cychcal because products made from them sell far better in good economic times (see Polyesters,unsaturated). 

Uses. About 35% of the isophthahc acid is used to prepare unsaturated polyester resins. These are condensation products of isophthahc acid, an unsaturated dibasic acid, most likely maleic anhydride, and a glycol such as propylene glycol. The polymer is dissolved in an inhibited vinyl monomer, usually styrene with a quinone inhibitor. When this viscous hquid is treated with a catalyst, heat or free-radical initiation causes cross-linking and sohdification. A range of properties is possible depending on the reactants used and their ratios (97). 

Liquid crystal polyesters are made by a different route. Because they are phenoHc esters, they cannot be made by direct ester exchange between a diphenol and a lower dialkyl ester due to unfavorable reactivities. The usual method is the so-called reverse ester exchange or acidolysis reaction (96) where the phenoHc hydroxyl groups are acylated with a lower aHphatic acid anhydride, eg, acetic or propionic anhydride, and the acetate or propionate ester is heated with an aromatic dicarboxyHc acid, sometimes in the presence of a catalyst. The phenoHc polyester forms readily as the volatile lower acid distills from the reaction mixture. Many Hquid crystal polymers are derived formally from hydroxyacids (97,98) and thein acetates readily undergo self-condensation in the melt, stoichiometric balance being automatically obtained. 

Novel polyester compositions have also been derived from dicyclopentadiene [77-73-6] (DCPD), which can enter into two distinct reactions with maleic anhydride to modify properties for lower cost. These compositions have effectively displaced o-phthaUc resins in marine and bathtub laminating apphcations. 

Other minor raw materials are used for specific needs. Eumaric acid [110-17-8] the geometric isomer of maleic acid, is selected to maximize thermal or corrosion performance and is the sole acid esterified with bisphenol A diol derivatives to obtain optimum polymer performance. CycloaUphatics such as hydrogenated bisphenol A (HBPA) and cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) are used in selective formulations for electrical apphcations. TetrahydrophthaUc anhydride [85-43-8] (THPA) can be used to improve resiUence and impart useful air-drying properties to polyester resins intended for coating or lining apphcations. 

Polyestetification involving insoluble reactants such as isophthaUc acid is normally carried out in two-stage reactions, in which isophthaUc acid reacts first with the glycol to form a cleat melt. The balance of the reactants, including maleic anhydride, is then added to complete the polyester polymer, thus avoiding longer cycle times and some discoloration. 

Polyester resins can also be rapidly formed by the reaction of propylene oxide (5) with phthaUc and maleic anhydride. The reaction is initiated with a small fraction of glycol initiator containing a basic catalyst such as lithium carbonate. Molecular weight development is controlled by the concentration of initiator, and the highly exothermic reaction proceeds without the evolution of any condensate water. Although this technique provides many process benefits, the low extent of maleate isomerization achieved during the rapid formation of the polymer limits the reactivity and ultimate performance of these resins. 

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