Low triphenylphosphate, high phosphorous content isopropyl phenyl phosphates with high ortho alkylation

1. A process for making alkylated triaryl phosphate esters comprising:

a) reacting an alkylated phenol stream comprising less than about 1 mole % phenol and up to about 25 mole % dialkyl phenol, both based on the total weight of the alkylated phenol, with POCl 3 in the presence of a first catalyst under first reaction conditions, including temperatures ranging from about 80° C. to about 210° C., thereby producing a first reaction product comprising greater than about 75 mole % monoalkylated phenyl-dichloro phosphates, based on the total moles of the first reaction product, and wherein said first reaction product is:

i) reacted with an alcohol selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols, alkylated aryl alcohols, and mixtures thereof in the presence of a second catalyst under second reaction conditions including temperatures ranging from about 90° C. to about 260° C. thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester; or

ii) sequentially reacted with more than one alcohol selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols, alkylated aryl alcohols, and mixtures thereof in the presence of a second catalyst under second reaction conditions including temperatures ranging from about 70° C. to about 260° C. thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester; or

iii) reacted with a first alcohol thereby producing a partially reacted product, and reacting the partially reacted product with a second alcohol, wherein the second alcohol is not added until the first alcohol has been consumed, as determined by a suitable method such as P 31 NMR, wherein said first alcohol and said second alcohol are independently selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols and alkylated aryl alcohols thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the alkyl moieties of the alkylated phenol are independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, tertiary-butyl, amyl, isoamyl, tertiary-amyl groups, cyclohexyl alkyl moieties, isopropyl alkyl, and combinations thereof.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the alkyl moieties of the alkylated phenol are isopropyl alkyl moieties.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the alkylated phenol stream comprises in the range of from about 64 to about 68 wt. % ortho-isopropylphenol, in the range of from about 0.5 to about 2.5 wt. % meta-isopropylphnenol, and in the range of from about 31 to about 35 wt. % para-isopropylphenol, all based on the total weight of the alkylated phenol.

5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first reaction product comprises in the range of from about 70 to about 99.9 mole % monoalkylated phenyl-dichloro phosphates and in the range of from about 0.1 mole % but less than 30 mole %, bis-(monoalkylated)phenyl-chloro phosphates, both based on the total moles of the first reaction product excluding unreacted POCl 3 .

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein said process further comprises:

a) adding to the alkylated triaryl phosphate ester an additional amount of alcohol selected from monoisopropylated phenols, diisopropylated phenols, phenol, and mixtures thereof, and/or an additional amount of second catalyst to the alkylated triaryl phosphate ester, thus producing an alcohol-rich alkylated phenyl phosphate product containing excess alcohol;

b) recovering said alcohol-rich alkylated phenyl phosphate product; and

c) removing at least a portion of the excess alcohol from the alcohol-rich alkylated phenyl phosphate ester product;

wherein the excess alcohol is removed by a method selected from phase separation, stripping, distillation, and mixtures thereof.

7. The process according to claim 1 wherein said process further comprises i) dividing said first alcohol into a first and second portion; ii) reacting the first reaction product with the first portion of the first alcohol until substantially all of the first portion of the first alcohol is consumed, as determined by a suitable method such as P 31 NMR; adding the second portion of the first alcohol; reacting the product from ii) with the second portion of the first alcohol until substantially all of the second portion of the first alcohol has been consumed, as determined by a suitable method such as P 31 NMR, thus producing a first intermediate reaction product comprising at least aryl dichlorophosphate and chloro diarylphosphate; iii) reacting the first intermediate reaction product with an effective amount of the second alcohol.

8. The process according to claim 7 wherein said effective amount of the second alcohol is that amount of the second alcohol that is effective at converting substantially all of the aryl dichlorophosphate and chloro diarylphosphate to alkylated triaryl phosphate.