METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF DIALKYL PHOSPHITES

1 . A method for the manufacture of dialkyl phosphites starting from a P—O component containing from 1 to 6 P—O—P bonds in the molecule comprising the step of:

a) reacting a mixture of R″OH and the P—O component, expressed in molar ratios R″OH : P—O of, at least, 1:1 to 6:1

wherein R″ is selected from alkyl groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms in linear or branched configuration; and

a ketal having the formula:

RR′C(OA) 2

wherein A stands for C 1-20 linear or branched alkyl groups; and wherein R and R′ are selected from alkyl, aryl, alkaryl and cyclo-alkyl hydrocarbon groups, wherein R and R′ may be connected, wherein the total number of carbon atoms in R and R′, connected and individually, is at least 4, wherein the structure of the ketone, RR′C=O, being the ketal precursor, does not allow the formation of an enol structure; whereby the minimum number of mole(s) of RR′C(OA) 2 to be employed, z, is determined by z=−m+2 n, wherein m is the number of P—O—P bonds in the P—O molecule and n is the number of P atoms in the P—O molecule;

by adding the P—O simultaneously with or separately from the ketal, to a reaction medium comprising the R″OH and bringing the reaction medium to a temperature in the range of from 70° C. to 200° C. for a period of from 10 minutes to 10 hours; to thereby form the dialkylphosphite reaction product.

2 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the ketal is void of any carbon-hydrogen bonds on the α-carbon atom in the ketal structure.

3 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the P—O is represented by liquid P 4 O 6 .

4 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the ketal is homogeneous with respect to the reaction medium and R and R′ are selected from naphthyl, phenyl and t-butyl.

5 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the RR′C(OA) 2 precursor is selected from fluorenone, anthraquinone, and 9,10-phenanthrene quinone.

6 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the ketal is heterogeneous, with respect to the reaction medium and is prepared from polyphenyl resins grafted with a phenyl-CO—, naphthyl-CO— or t-butyl-CO—, which polyphenyl resins comprise (co)polymers of styrene ethyl-vinyl benzene and α-methyl styrene which (co)polymers can be cross-linked with di-vinyl benzene.

7 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein A is represented by linear or branched C 1-12 -alkyl groups.

8 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the P—O is added to the reaction medium containing the R″OH and the ketal.

9 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the P—O is P 4 O 6 , and contains less than 1000 ppm of elemental phosphorus, P 4 , expressed in relation to P 4 O 6 being 100%.

10 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the alkyl groups in the alcohol, R″OH, and A in the ketal are identical.

11 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the molar ratio of R″OH:P—O is in the range of from 1:1 to 8:1.

12 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the P—O is added to the reaction medium containing water in a molar level of 4 or less H 2 O per P—O.

13 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the alkyl group, R″, in the alcohol has from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

14 . The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the reaction is conducted for a period of 15 minutes to 6 hours at a temperature from 70° C. to 150° C.

15 . The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the P—O compound is prepared starting from PCl 3 , and contains less than 400 ppm of chlorine, expressed in relation to the P—O compound (100%).

16 . The method in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the dialkylphosphite formed contains less than 100 ppm, preferably less than 20 ppm, of chlorine expressed on the basis of the dialkyl phosphite (100%).