Flame-resistant polyurethanes

Claim 1

A FIRE-RESISTANT POLYURETHANE PREPARED BY INCORPORATING INTO THE REACTANT MIXTURE USED TO PREPARE THE POLYURETHANE A FIRE RESISTANCE IMPARTING AMOUNT OF A PRODUCT PRODUCED BY A PROCESS COMPRISING: (A) REACTING IN THE ABSENCE OF WATER AND AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT ZERO TO 80 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AN EXCESS OF A PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSPHORUS TRICHLORIDE, PHOSPHORUS TRIBROMIDE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF WITH AN ALKYLENE GLYCOL HAVING FROM 2 TO ABOUT 6 CARBON ATOMS AND HAVING THE GLYCOL HYDROXYL GROUPS ON ADJACENT CARBON ATOMS TO FORM AS A REACTION PRODUCT A 2-HALO-1,3,2-DIOXAPHOSPHOLANE ESTER; (B) REACTING THE REACTION PRODUCT OF STEP (A) WITH A 1,2-ALKYLENE OXIDE HAVING FROM 2 TO ABOUT 6 CARBON ATOMS IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO FORM AS A REACTION PRODUCT AT LEAST SOME OF A 2 - HALOALKYL-1,3,2-DIOXAPHOSPHOLANE WHEREIN THE HALOGEN IN THE HALOALKYL IS THE SAME AS THAT IN THE PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE USED IN STEP (A), AND THE ALKYL GROUP HAS FROM 2 TO ABOUT 6 CARBON ATOMS; (C) REACTING THE REACTION PRODUCT OF STEP (B) WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF ALKANECARBOXYALDEHYDE HAVING FROM 1 TO ABOUT 4 CARBON ATOMS TO REACT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF ANY REMAINING PHOSPHORUS BONDED HALOGEN; (D) REACTING AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT ZERO TO ABOUT 100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE THE REACTION PRODUCT OF STEP (C) WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF ALKANECARBOXALDEHYDE HAVING FROM 1 TO ABOUT 4 CARBON ATOMS AND WATER TO OPEN DIOXAPHOSPHOLANE ESTER RINGS AND TO FORM A HYDROXYALKYL ALPHA-HYDROXYALKYLPHOSPHONATE ESTER PRODUCT; (E) REDUCING THE ACID NUMBER OF THE PRODUCT OF STEP (D) TO NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 15 WITH A BASIC MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL HYDROXIDES, LOWER ALKOXIDES, ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL SALTS, AMMONIA AND TERTIARY LOWER ALKYLAMINES.