Patent ID: 7550551

Claim:
A process for preparing a polybromoaryl ether comprising: (A) adding to a solvent for the polybromoaryl ether a mixture of: (1) at least one compound of the structure HO—Ar—X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 (I) wherein Ar is an aryl group and X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 and X 5 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and bromine, provided that at least one of X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 and X 5 is bromine, (2) at least one alkali or alkaline metal hydroxide, and (3) at least one polymerization initiator, wherein said solvent for the polybromoaryl ether is a non-solvent for alkali or alkaline metal bromides; (B) mixing the materials prepared in (A) to polymerize compound I and form the polybromoaryl ether and at least one alkali or alkaline metal bromide by-product; (C) quenching the polymerization of compound I; and then (D) separating the insoluble alkali or alkaline metal bromide by-product using filtration from the soluble polybromoaryl ether.