Patent ID: 8350074

Claim:
A process for making alkylated triaryl phosphate esters comprising: a) reacting an alkylated phenol stream comprising less than about 1 mole % phenol and up to about 25 mole % dialkyl phenol, both based on the total weight of the alkylated phenol, with POCl 3 in the presence of a first catalyst under first reaction conditions, including temperatures ranging from about 80° C. to about 210° C., thereby producing a first reaction product comprising greater than about 75 mole % monoalkylated phenyl-dichloro phosphates, based on the total moles of the first reaction product, and wherein said first reaction product is: i) reacted with an alcohol selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols, alkylated aryl alcohols, and mixtures thereof in the presence of a second catalyst under second reaction conditions including temperatures ranging from about 90° C. to about 260° C. thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester; or ii) sequentially reacted with more than one alcohol selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols, alkylated aryl alcohols, and mixtures thereof in the presence of a second catalyst under second reaction conditions including temperatures ranging from about 70° C. to about 260° C. thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester; or iii) reacted with a first alcohol thereby producing a partially reacted product, and reacting the partially reacted product with a second alcohol, wherein the second alcohol is not added until the first alcohol has been consumed, as determined by a suitable method such as P 31 NMR, wherein said first alcohol and said second alcohol are independently selected from aryl alcohols, alkyl alcohols and alkylated aryl alcohols thereby producing an alkylated triaryl phosphate ester.