Condensation products of phenol, polycyclic phenols and formaldehyde

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A LIQUID CONDENSATION PRODUCT OF 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF PHENOL, 50-150 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF FORMALDEHYDE AND 3-400 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ONE POLYCYCLIC PHENOL CONTAINING 2-6 BENZENE RINGS AND HAVING 1-4 PHENOLIC HYDROXYL GROUPS ATTACHED TO SAID RINGS, AT LEAST ONE OF THE POSITIONS ORTHO AND PARA TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HYDROXYL GROUPS BEING UNSUBSTITUTED; SAID PROCESS CONSISTING OF (A) COMBINING THE PHENOL, THE POLYCYCLIC PHENOL, FROM 40 TO 60% OF THE TOTAL FORMALDEHYDE BEING EMPLOYED AND AN ALKALINE CATALYST, (B) HEATING THE REACTION MIXTURE THUS FORMED TO A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 180*F. TO REFLUX TEMPERATURE UNTIL AN ENDPOINT AS DELINEATED BY THE AREA BETWEEN THE TWO CURVES IN FIGURE I IS OBTAINED AND (C) ADDING THE REMAINING FORMALDEHYDE IN AT LEAST ONE FURTHER INCREMENT WHILE HEATING THE REACTION MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 140*F. TO REFLUX FOLLOWING THE ADDITION OF EACH SUCH INCREMENT; THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF ALKALINE CATALYST EMPLOYED BEING 4-50 PARTS BY WEIGHT, 50-100% OF WHICH IS PRESENT DURING STEP (B) WITH, CORRESPONDINGLY, FROM 50 TO ZERO PERCENT BEING ADDED SUBSEQUENT TO THE COMPLETION OF STEP (B).