Process to make low color polyetherimide by halo-displacement and low color polyetherimide

1. A method for the manufacture of a polyetherimide, the method comprising:

contacting a halophthalic anhydride having an APHA index of less than 120 and of the formula

with an organic diamine having an APHA index of less than 100 and of the formula

H 2 N—R—NH 2

to form a crude bis(halophthalimide) of the formula

contacting the crude bis(halophthalimide) with methanol, hexane, or a combination thereof to provide a slurry;

filtering the slurry to provide a filtered bis(halophthalimide);

washing the filtered bis(halophthalimide) with ortho-dichlorobenzene at a temperature of at least 100° C., to provide bis(halophthalimide);

preparing an alkali metal salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound having an APHA index of less than 50, wherein the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound is of the formula

MO—Z—OM,

by a method comprising:

contacting an aqueous solution of an alkali metal base with a dihydroxy aromatic compound to form an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound;

contacting the aqueous solution of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound with ortho-dichlorobenzene at a temperature sufficient to remove water, to produce an ortho-dichlorobenzene slurry of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound;

homogenizing the ortho-chlorobenzene slurry of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound to provide the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound having an APHA index of less than 50; and

drying the homogenized ortho-dichlorobenzene slurry of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound to less than 20 ppm of moisture in the slurry as measured in the overheads;

adding a pre-homogenized ortho-dichlorobenzene slurry of an additional base to the homogenized ortho-dichlorobenzene slurry of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound at the drying step to form a mixture, wherein the additional base is selected from alkali metal carbonates, alkali hydrides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkali metal phosphates, alkali metal bicarbonates, alkali metal acetates, and combinations thereof; and

contacting the bis(halophthalimide) with the mixture of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound having an APHA index of less than 50 and the additional base to form a polyetherimide comprising structural units of the formula

wherein in the foregoing formulae

X is selected from fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, and combinations thereof;

each R is independently the same or different, and is a substituted or unsubstituted C 6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group, a substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain C 2-20 alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C 3-8 cycloalkylene group, or a combination thereof;

M is an alkali metal;

Z is an aromatic C 6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C 1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, and combinations thereof; and

n is an integer greater than 1;

wherein the polyetherimide has a Yellowness Index of less than 93.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous solution of the alkali metal base is degassed to remove dissolved oxygen.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

heating an aqueous solution of a disodium salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound to a temperature of 70° C. to 95° C.; and

adding the aqueous solution of the disodium salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound to heated ortho-dichlorobenzene, such that the temperature of the combination of the added aqueous solution of the disodium salt of a dihydroxy aromatic compound and the heated ortho-dichlorobenzene is 130 to 180° C.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous solution of the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxy aromatic compound is contacted with ortho-dichlorobenzene at a temperature of 130 to 135° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional base is alkali metal phosphate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the additional base is tripotassium phosphate.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-homogenized ortho-dichlorobenzene slurry is degassed to remove dissolved oxygen.