Patent ID: 8802891

Claim:
A process for the manufacture of alkylamino alkylene phosphonic acids having the formula: U—[X—N(W)(ZPO 3 M 2 )] s by reacting a phosphonic acid compound having the formula: Y—X—N(W)(ZPO 3 M 2 ) with a precursor of the moiety: U the structural elements having the following meaning: Y is selected from: substituents the conjugated acid of which have a pKa equal to or smaller than 4.0; X is selected from C 2 -C 50 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chains, optionally substituted by a C 1 -C 12 linear, branched, cyclic, or aromatic group, (which chain and/or which group can be) optionally substituted by OH, COOH, F, OR′, R 2 O[AO] x wherein R 2 is a C 1 -C 50 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain, and SR′ moieties, wherein R′ is a C 1 -C 50 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain, optionally substituted by C 1 -C 12 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups, (said chains and/or groups can be) optionally substituted by COOH, OH, F, OR′ and SR′; and [A-O] x -A wherein A is a C 2 -C 9 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain and x is an integer from 1 to 200; Z is a C 1 -C 6 alkylene chain; M is selected from H and C 1 -C 20 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chains; W is selected from H, ZPO 3 M 2 and [V—N(K)] n K, wherein V is selected from: a C 2 -C 50 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain, optionally substituted by C i -C 12 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic groups, (which chains and/or groups can be) optionally substituted by OH, COOH, F, OR′, R 2 O[A-O] x — wherein R 2 is a C 1 -C 50 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain, and SR′ moieties; and from [A-O] x -A wherein A is a C 2 -C 9 linear, branched, cyclic or aromatic hydrocarbon chain and x is an integer from 1 to 200; K is ZPO 3 M 2 or H and n is an integer from 0 to 200; and U is a moiety selected from NH 2 , NHR′, N(R′) 2 , NH, N, S, SH, and S—S wherein R′ is as defined above; s is 1 in the event U stands for NH 2 , NHR′, N(R′) 2 , or HS; s is 2 in the event U stands for NH, S or S—S; and s is 3 in the event U stands for N; in aqueous medium, having a pH of 8 or more, at a temperature of 0° C. or higher.