Anhydrous preparation of polyarylene sulfide in one vessel reaction system

Claim 1

A process for the production of high molecular weight polyarylene sulphide under anhydrous conditions from (a) 100 to 0 Mol % of dihalogen aromatic compound corresponding to the formula ##STR3## and from 0 to 100 Mol % of dihalogen aromatic compound corresponding to the formula ##STR4## wherein X represents meta- or para-positioned chlorine or bromine relative to each other, and R 1 is the same or different and represents hydrogen, alkyl, cyloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, and two orthopositioned radicals R 1 relative to each other are linked together through a N, O or S atom to form an aromatic ring or linked together through a N, O or S atom to form a heterocyclic ring, and one R 1 is different from hydrogen, and from 0 to 5 mol %, based on the total of components (a) and (b), of a tri- or tetra-halogen aromatic compound corresponding to the formula ArX.sub.n (III), wherein Ar represents an aromatic or heterocyclic radical, X represents chlorine or bromine, and n represents 3 or 4, and (c) at least one alkali sulphide the molar ratio of (a+b):c ranging from 0.85 to 1.15:1, and (d) an organic solvent with the molar ratio of alkali sulphide (c) and organic solvent (d) ranging from 1:2 to 1:15, and wherein the process is conducted in a one-vessel reaction and water which distills off azeotropically is removed from the reaction mixture.