Process for the manufacture of mixed phosphoric acid ester compositions

Claim 1

A process for the manufacture of a mixed phosphoric acid ester composition comprising less than about 4 weight percent of triphenyl phosphate having the formula: (R.sub.1 O).sub.3 P═O from about 10 to about 20 weight percent of a phenyl dialkyl phosphate having the formula: ##STR8## and from about 65 to 80 weight percent of an alkyl diphenyl phosphate having the formula: ##STR9## wherein R 1 is a phenyl radical and R 2 is an alkyl radical, which comprises: (a) heating about 2 moles of an alcohol characterized by a boiling point above about 170° C. and having the formula: R.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH with a catalytic amount of from greater than about 1.5 mole percent to about 2.0 mole percent based on the alcohol of an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution under vacuum to distill off the water present in the mixture and form a sodium alkoxide; (b) adding about 1.0 mole of triphenyl phosphate of the formula: (R.sub.1 O).sub.3 P═O to the reaction mixture under a nitrogen atmosphere and maintaining the temperature at about 100° C. with agitation for about an hour; (c) heating the reaction mixture at 100° C. to 140° C. under vacuum to remove aromatic and aliphatic alcohols from the reaction mixture; and (d) distilling the filtrate in a wiped film still under vacuum and at a temperature below the decomposition temperature of said mixed phosphoric acid ester composition to obtain the desired product.