General Electric Company

Sheldon J Shafer

Eric James Pressman

Donald C Clagett

Louis M Maresca

Daniel W Fox

Julia L Lee

Kenneth Paul Blackmon

Paul Dean Sybert

John A Tyrell

Gaylord M Kissinger

Eduard Hendricus Schlarmann

Stephen M Cooper

Yang Cao

Patrick Joseph McCloskey

Gary Charles Davis

Farid Fouad Khouri

Patricia Chapman Irwin

Norberto Silvi

Ganesh Kailasam

John Yaw Ofori

Martin H Oyevaar

Harish Radhakrishna Acharya

Ronald J Gambale

G Fred Willard

Emil Markov Georgiev

Joseph Richard Wetzel

Alexey Kruglov

Karl Aaron Baro

Gomatam Raghavan Ravi

Darlene Hope Nance

Rudy Francois Alain J Peemans

Hyacinth Mary Bastian

Gururaj Sathyanarayana

David M Handler

Kumar Krishna Ramamurthy

Dwijaraja Mouli Murukutla

Venkata Rama Narayanan Ganapathy Bhotla

Mojtaba Janatpour

Chuks O Mbeledogu

Rudy Francois Alain Joseph Peemans

Ramachandran Kumar

A monomer and polycarbonate resin are provided, as are methods of making the monomer. The resin may be used to provide a thin film that has a higher dielectric constant and higher glass transition temperature, and similar breakdown strength and similar dissipation factor to films prepared from polycarbonate resins not so modified. The thin films, in turn, may advantageously be used to form, wholly or in part, articles such as capacitors, sensors, batteries, flexible printed circuit boards, keyboard membranes, motor/transformer insulations, cable wrappings, industrial tapes, interior coverage materials, and the like. In particular, a capacitor comprising the polycarbonate resin is also provided.

Monomers for preparing polycarbonate resins, methods of preparing the monomers, polycarbonate resins prepared with the monomers, and capacitors comprising the polycarbonate resins

Methods for purifying a p,p-bisphenol A generally include distilling a feed stream comprising p,p-BPA in a distillation column at a pressure less than or equal to 20 millibars. The distillation column separates the bisphenol feed stream to produce a light fraction, an intermediate fraction and a heavy fraction. The intermediate fraction comprising the purified bisphenol contains lesser impurities that the p,p-BPA in the feed stream. In one embodiment, the intermediate stream is recovered using a side-draw. The side-draw is located between a first zone and a third zone in the distillation column.

Methods for purifying p,p-bisphenol-A

The present invention provides novel block copolycarbonates comprising residues from a hydroxy terminated polyetherimide or polyimide, residues from a dihydroxy compound, and residues from an activated carbonate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the polyetherimide or polyimide blocks exhibit high Mwhile the resulting block copolycarbonate exhibits a single T. The novel block copolycarbonates of the present invention are produced under melt polymerization conditions in the presence an activated carbonate source.

Polycarbonate&#x2014;ultem block copolymers

Liquid crystal polycarbonates are made by forming a reaction mixture containing (a) an activated diaryl carbonate; (b) at least two species of aromatic diols selected from among resorcinol, 4,4'-biphenol, hydroquinone, methylhydroquinone, 4,4&#x2032;-dihydroxyphenylether, dihydroxynaphthalene, including in particular the 2,6, 1,5, and 2,7 isomers, 4,4&#x2032;-dihydroxybenzophenone and 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone (anthraflavic acid); and (c) optionally bisphenol A in a maximum amount of 10 mole %; and processing the reaction mixture in a melt transesterification reaction to form a liquid crystal polycarbonate. While the product composition has the same overall characteristics as compositions made using diphenyl carbonate as the donor moiety for the carbonate linkage, they are analytically distinguishable because of limited incorporation of intermediate or end-cap residues derived from the activated diaryl carbonate.

Liquid crystal polycarbonates and methods of preparing same

A method for regenerating deactivated sulfonated cation exchange catalysts comprises washing the deactivated catalyst with phenol-water mixtures comprising about 5-20 wt. % of water in phenol at a temperature of about 70-95&deg; C.

Regeneration of catalysts used in the manufacture of bisphenols

The invention is a catalytic ion exchange resin bed with low pressure drop, low catalyst breakage and low catalyst deactivation as well as an improved process for the production of bisphenol A employing such a catalytic ion exchange resin bed.

Combination ion exchange resin bed for the synthesis of bisphenol A

Phenol and isopropenylphenol are recovered from BPA tars by sparging the fluidized BPA tar while heating in the presence of a basic catalyst. Sparging dramatically increases the efficiency of phenol and isopropenylphenol recovery. Recovered isopropenylphenol may be converted to bisphenol A in the distillate by reaction with phenol and an acidic catalyst.

Method for recovering material values from bisphenol tars

Catalytic materials including divalent palladium compounds, divalent cobalt compounds and bromide sources such as tetraalkylammonium and hexaalkylguanidinium bromides are removed from organic carbonylation reaction mixtures comprising said materials in combination with diaryl carbonate and hydroxyaromatic compound. The removal steps include extraction with an aqueous complexing solution for palladium, extraction with an aqueous non-basic and preferably ionic extractant for cobalt, and extraction with water to remove bromide source. These steps may be combined into an integrated process. Further steps of recycle of the palladium by reduction to elemental palladium and conversion to a catalytically active species, and conversion of cobalt to a catalytically active species, may be included in the integrated process.

Method for recovering and recycling catalyst constituents

Hydroxyaromatic compounds such as phenol are converted to diaryl carbonates by reaction with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst package which comprises a Group VIIIB metal, preferably palladium, salt of at least one aliphatic .beta.-diketone such as 2,4-pentanedione. The catalyst package also preferably comprises an inorganic cocatalyst, an organic cocatalyst and a bromide or chloride, preferably bromide, source such as a hexaalkylguanidinium bromide. The use of the .beta.-diketone salt confers such advantages as long shelf life under normal storage conditions, high activity upon recycle and capability of carbonylation at relatively low temperatures.

Method for preparing diaryl carbonates employing .beta.-diketone salts

Hydroxyaromatic compounds such as phenol are converted to diaryl carbonates by reaction with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst package which typically comprises a group VIIIB metal or compound thereof, an inorganic cocatalyst, an organic cocatalyst and a hexaalkylguanidinium bromide or chloride, preferably bromide. The use of the hexaalkylguanidinium salt causes an increase in the yield of diaryl carbonate without a decrease in selectivity.

Method for preparing diaryl carbonates employing hexaalkylguanidinium

Hydroxyaromatic compounds such as phenol are converted to diaryl carbonates by reaction with oxygen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst package and an added diluent free from active hydrogen. The preferred catalyst packages comprise a Group VIIIB metal or salt thereof, an inorganic cocatalyst, and organic cocatalysts and a bromide or chloride source. The amount of added diluent is an effective amount to improve selectivity to diaryl carbonate. Preferred diluents are diphenyl carbonate and N-methylpyrrolidone.

Method for preparing diaryl carbonates with improved selectivity

Adducts of hydroxyaromatic compounds such as phenol and diaryl carbonates such as diphenyl carbonate are washed with a washing composition comprising a major proportion, typically about 90%, of the hydroxyaromatic compound and a minor proportion, typically about 10%, of the diaryl carbonate.

Method of purifying diphenyl carbonate-phenol adduct

A method for recovering substantially pure p,p-bisarylols from a mixture comprising the same by subjecting the mixture to vacuum distillation and melt crystallization in the absence of an adduct crystallization and the generation of a reaction recycle stream.

Process for recovering bisphenols

Copolymers comprising amide units and ester units are prepared by melt phase interchange of diaryl esters of dicarboxylic acids and diamines with dihydric alcohols and diesters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids. The products are tough resins, useful per se as molding compounds, and to compatibilize and toughen other thermoplastic polymers.

Amide-ester copolymers and process for the preparation thereof

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Pittsfield, MA, United States of America

Sheldon J Shafer