Isocyanate-reactive mixtures based on formose

Claim 2

Isocyanate reactive mixtures comprising (a) from 20 to 90% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of a mixture of polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones which have been obtained by the condensation of formaldehyde hydrate (b) from 10 to 80% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of aldehydes and/or ketones methylolated in the α-position and incapable of enediol formation (c) from 0 to 50% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of water, and (d) from 0 to 100% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides.

Claim 3

The mixtures of claim 1 wherein component (a) comprises from 40 to 70% by weight, component (b) comprises from 25 to 60% by weight, and component (c) comprises from 0.3 to 30% by weight, all weights based on (a)+(b).

Claim 4

The mixtures of claim 2, wherein component (c) comprises from 0.8 to 10% by weight based on (a)+(b).

Claim 5

The mixtures of claim 2, wherein component (d) comprises from 10 to 50% by weight, based on (a)+(b).

Claim 6

The mixtures of claim 1 wherein component (a) comprises formoses having an average molecular weight of from 92 to 360 and a sugar content, expressed as glucose having a molecular weight of 180, of from 4 to 85% by weight.

Claim 7

The mixtures of claim 5, wherein said formoses have an average molecular weight of from 100 to 240 and a sugar content of from 6 to 72% by weight.

Claim 8

The mixtures of claim 1, wherein component (b) comprises aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or araliphatic aldehydes and ketones containing from 2 to 15 carbon atoms.

Claim 9

The mixtures of claim 7, wherein said aldehydes and ketones contain from 2 to 9 carbon atoms.

Claim 10

The mixtures of claim 1, wherein component (b) is selected from the group consisting of ##STR7##

Claim 11

The mixtures of claim 1, wherein the aldehydes and/or ketones of component (b) are selected from the group consisting of n-butyraldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, acetone and cyclohexanone.

Claim 12

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising condensing aqueous formalin solutions and/or paraformaldehyde dispersions containing from 20 to 65% by weight of formaldehyde at pH-values of from 4 to 9 and at a reaction temperature of from 70° to 110° C. in the presence of (a) soluble or insoluble salts of metals of the Second to Fourth Main Group or of the First to Eighth Secondary Group of the Periodic System of Elements or metal ions of said groups and/or subgroups fixed to a high molecular weight support, (b) aldehydes and/or ketones capable of α-aldolation or their α-methylolation products and, optionally (c) co-catalysts based on compounds capable of enediol formation, until the residual formaldehyde content is from 0 to 10% by weight, based on the reaction mixture; subsequently removing the catalyst; and concentrating the reaction product to the desired water content.

Claim 13

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising condensing aqueous formalin solutions and/or paraformaldehyde dispersions containing from 20 to 65% by weight of formaldehyde at pH-values of from 4 to 9 and at a reaction temperature of from 70° to 110° C. in the presence of (a) soluble or insoluble salts of metals of the Second to Fourth Main Group or of the First to Eighth Secondary Group of the Periodic System of Elements or metal ions of said groups and/or subgroups fixed to a high molecular weight support, (b) aldehydes and/or ketones capable of α-aldolation or their α-methylolation products and, optionally (c) co-catalysts based on compounds capable of enediol formation, until the residual formaldehyde content is from 0 to 10% by weight, based on the reaction mixture; subsequently removing the catalyst; and concentrating the reaction product to the desired water content.

Claim 14

The process of claim 11, wherein said pH-value is from 5 to 8, and wherein the condensation is continued until the residual formaldehyde content is from 0.5 to 6% by weight.

Claim 15

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising condensing aqueous formalin solutions and/or paraformaldehyde dispersions containing from 20 to 65% by weight of formaldehyde at pH-values of from 4 to 9 at a reaction temperature of from 70° to 110° C. in the presence of (a) soluble or insoluble salts of metals of the Second to Fourth Main Group or the First to Eighth Secondary Group of the Periodic System of Elements or metal ions of said groups and/or subgroups fixed to a high molecular weight support, and (b) co-catalysts based on compounds capable of enediol formation, up to a conversion of from 40 to 95% by weight, based on the formaldehyde used, to form mixtures of low molecular weight polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones; binding the residual formaldehyde by the addition of α-aldolatable carbonyl compounds incapable of enediol formation; freeing the reaction product from the catalyst; and concentrating reaction product to the desired water content.

Claim 16

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising condensing aqueous formalin solutions and/or paraformaldehyde dispersions containing from 20 to 65% by weight of formaldehyde at pH-values of from 4 to 9 at a reaction temperature of from 70° to 110° C. in the presence of (a) soluble or insoluble salts of metals of the Second to Fourth Main Group or the First to Eighth Secondary Group of the Periodic System of Elements or metal ions of said groups and/or subgroups fixed to a high molecular weight support, and (b) co-catalysts based on compounds capable of enediol formation, up to a conversion of from 40 to 95% by weight, based on the formaldehyde used, to form mixtures of low molecular weight polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones; binding the residual formaldehyde by the addition of α-aldolatable carbonyl compounds incapable of enediol formation; freeing the reaction product from the catalyst; and concentrating reaction product to the desired water content.

Claim 17

The process of claim 13 wherein the condensation in continued up to a conversion of from 70 to 90% and wherein the pH-value is from 7 to 9.

Claim 18

The process of claim 13 wherein said pH-value is from 5 to 8, and wherein said conversion is from 70 to 90%.

Claim 19

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising mixing (a) an aqueous or alcoholic solution of a mixture of low molecular weight polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones, which have been obtained by the autocondensation of formaldehyde hydrate with (b) α-aldolatable carbonyl compounds; and subsequently methylolating the mixture by the addition of aqueous formaldehyde.

Claim 20

A process for producing isocyanate-reactive mixtures comprising mixing (a) an aqueous or alcoholic solution of a mixture of low molecular weight polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones, which have been obtained by the autocondensation of formaldehyde hydrate with (b) α-aldolatable carbonyl compounds; and subsequently methylolating the mixture by the addition of aqueous formaldehyde.

Claim 21

The process of claim 16 wherein from 20 to 300% of the quantity of formaldehyde required to obtain complete methylolation of the α-aldolatable carbonyl compound is added.

Claim 22

The process of claim 17, wherein from 50 to 150% of the quantity of formaldehyde required to obtain complete methylolation of the α-aldolatable carbonyl compound is added.

Claim 23

The process of claim 17 wherein the methylolation reaction is conducted to a pH of from 7 to 9 and a temperature of from 10° to 65° C.

Claim 24

The process of claim 19, wherein the pH-value is from 7.5 to 8 and the temperature is from 20° to 50° C.

Claim 25

The process of claim 16 wherein following the methylolation reaction excess water is removed.

Claim 26

The process of claim 21 wherein the excess water is removed in a thin-film evaporator under a vacuum of from 1 to 18 Torr and at a temperature of from 35° to 60° C.

Claim 27

A process for the production of optionally cellular polyurethane plastics comprising reacting (a) polyisocyanates with (b) polyhydroxyl compounds having a molecular weight of less than 400, optionally (c) polyhydroxyl compounds having a molecular weight of from 400 to 10,000 and, optionally, other isocyanate-reactive compounds, optionally in the presence of (d) blowing agents, catalysts, and fillers wherein component (b) comprises an isocyanate-reactive mixture comprising (a) from 20 to 90% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of a mixture of polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones which have been obtained by the condensation of formaldehyde hydrate, (b) from 10 to 80% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of aldehyde and/or ketones methylolated in the α-position and incapable of enediol formation (c) from 0 to 50% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of water, and (d) from 0 to 100% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides.

Claim 28

A process for the production of optionally cellular polyurethane plastics comprising reacting (a) polyisocyanates with (b) polyhydroxyl compounds having a molecular weight of less than 400, optionally (c) polyhydroxyl compounds having a molecular weight of from 400 to 10,000 and, optionally, other isocyanate-reactive compounds, optionally in the presence of (d) blowing agents, catalysts, and fillers wherein component (b) comprises an isocyanate-reactive mixture comprising (a) from 20 to 90% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of a mixture of polyhydric alcohols, hydroxy aldehydes and hydroxy ketones which have been obtained by the condensation of formaldehyde hydrate, (b) from 10 to 80% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of aldehyde and/or ketones methylolated in the α-position and incapable of enediol formation (c) from 0 to 50% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of water, and (d) from 0 to 100% by weight, based on (a)+(b), of monosaccharides and/or disaccharides.

Claim 29

The process of claim 23, wherein component (c) comprises from 4 to 25% by weight.

Claim 30

The process of claim 24, wherein component (c) comprises from 8 to 20% by weight.

Claim 31

The process of claim 23, wherein the isocyanate index is from 20 to 70.

Claim 32

The process of claim 26, wherein the isocyanate index is from 30 to 60.

Claim 33

The process of claim 27, wherein the isocyanate index is from 35 to 55.

Claim 34

The process of claim 23 wherein component (c) comprises from 0 to 4% by weight.

Claim 35

The process of claim 29, wherein component (c) comprises from 0.7 to 3% by weight.

Claim 36

The process of claim 23, wherein component (b) comprises from 5 to 30% by weight based on the total of (b)+(c).