Process for preparing epoxy resins having improved physical properties when cured using quaternary phosphonium catalysts

Claim 1

In a process for advancing epoxy resins in molecular weight by reacting (A) an epoxy resin which is a glycidyl ether of a dihydric phenol having an average of more than one glycidyl ether group per molecule with (B) a dihydric phenolic compound in the presence of (C) a phosphonium catalyst employing components (A) and (B) in quantities such that the phenolic hydroxyl to epoxide equivalent ratio is that which will provide a theoretical percent epoxide of the resultant reaction product of from about 2.7 to about 14; the improvement which comprises employing the catalyst, component (C), in a quantity such that the epoxy resin which would result when subjecting a mixture of components (A), (B) and (C) to suitable reaction conditions produces an advanced epoxy resin wherein the difference obtained by subtracting the percent epoxide obtained by analysis from the theoretical percent epoxide is from about 0.5 to about 4; thereby providing an epoxy resin which when cured with a curing quantity of a curing agent provides a composition which has an improvement in one or more of the properties selected from the group consisting of glass transition temperature and increased reactivity.