Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific process that enables a high-purity diphenyl carbonate that can be used as a raw material of a high-quality and high-performance polycarbonate to be produced stably for a prolonged period of time on an industrial scale of not less than 1 ton/hr from a reaction mixture containing a catalyst and reaction by-products that has been obtained through transesterification reaction and the like using a dialkyl carbonate and a phenol as a starting material.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific process that enables a high-purity diaryl carbonate that can be used as a raw material of a high-quality and high-performance polycarbonate to be produced stably for a prolonged period of time on an industrial scale of not less than 1 ton/hr using as a starting material a reaction mixture containing an alkyl aryl carbonate obtained through a transesterification reaction between a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic monohydroxy compound.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific process that enables aromatic carbonates containing diaryl carbonate as a main product to be produced with high selectivity and high productivity stably for a prolonged period of time on an industrial scale of not less than 1 ton per hour from a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic monohydroxy compound using two continuous multi-stage distillation columns. Although there have been various proposals regarding processes for the production of aromatic carbonates by means of a reactive distillation method, these have all been on a small scale and short operating time laboratory level, and there have been no disclosures whatsoever on a specific process or apparatus enabling mass production on an industrial scale.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide, for the case of continuously producing aromatic carbonates containing a diaryl carbonate as a main product by taking an alkyl aryl carbonate containing specific amounts of a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic monohydroxy compound as a starting material, in which said alkyl aryl carbonate is obtainable through a transesterification reaction between a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic monohydroxy compound, using a continuous multi-stage distillation column in which a catalyst is present, and continuously feeding the starting material into the continuous multi-stage distillation column, a specific process that enables the diaryl carbonate to be produced with high selectivity and high productivity stably for a prolonged period of time on an industrial scale of not less than 1 ton per hour.

Abstract: It is a task of the present invention to provide a method for producing a high quality, high performance aromatic polycarbonate (which is colorless and has excellent mechanical properties) from a molten aromatic polycarbonate prepolymer obtained by reacting an aromatic dihydroxy compound with a diaryl carbonate, wherein the polycarbonate can be stably produced on a commercial scale at 1 to 50 t/hr for a long time. In the present invention, this task has been accomplished by a method for producing an aromatic polycarbonate by the melt transesterification process, in which the prepolymer is polymerized by a guide-wetting fall polymerizer device having a specific structure, whereby a high quality, high performance aromatic polycarbonate as mentioned above can be stably produced on a commercial scale at 1 to 50 t/hr for a long time (more than several thousand hours, e.g., more than 5,000 hours) without fluctuation of the molecular weight thereof.

Abstract: A method for producing a high quality aromatic polycarbonate, which comprises subjecting to molten state polymerization a mixture of an aromatic dihydroxy compound and a diaryl carbonate in the presence of a catalyst, the mixture of the aromatic dihydroxy compound and the diaryl carbonate being obtained by a mixing step in which an aromatic dihydroxy compound and a catalyst, each being in a solid state and/or a liquid state, are added to a diaryl carbonate in a molten state in the presence of an inert gas, thereby dissolving the aromatic dihydroxy compound and the catalyst in the molten diaryl carbonate.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a specific process that enables aromatic carbonates to be produced with high selectivity and high productivity stably for a prolonged period of time on an industrial scale of not less than 1 ton per hour from a dialkyl carbonate and an aromatic monohydroxy compound using two continuous multi-stage distillation columns. Although there have been various proposals regarding processes for the production of aromatic carbonates by means of a reactive distillation method, these have all been on a small scale and short operating time laboratory level, and there have been no disclosures whatsoever on a specific process or apparatus enabling mass production on an industrial scale.

Abstract: It is a task of the present invention to provide a polymerizer device and a polymerizer system which enable the production, by melt transesterification, of a high quality, high performance aromatic polycarbonate (which is colorless and has excellent mechanical properties) from a molten aromatic polycarbonate prepolymer obtained by reacting an aromatic dihydroxy compound with a diaryl carbonate, wherein the polycarbonate can be stably produced on a commercial scale at 1 to 50 t/hr for a long time. In the present invention, this task has been accomplished by a guide-wetting fall polymerizer device (in which a molten prepolymer is allowed to fall along and in contact with a guide, thereby effecting polymerization of the prepolymer) having a specific structure and a polymerizer system comprising such devices.

Abstract: A molded article produced by injection-molding a molten form of a flame-retardant aromatic polycarbonate resin composition comprising: 100 parts by weight of an aromatic polycarbonate (A) (Mw: 17,000 to 35,000), 0.01 to 3 parts by weight of inorganic compound particles (B) (average diameter: 10 nm to 10 ?m), 0.001 to 0.5 part by weight of an alkali metal salt (C) of an organic sulfonic acid, and 0.01 to 0.

Abstract: A molded article produced by injection-molding a molten form of a flame-retardant aromatic polycarbonate resin composition comprising: 100 parts by weight of an aromatic polycarbonate (A) (Mw: 17,000 to 35,000), 0.01 to 3 parts by weight of inorganic compound particles (B) (average diameter: 10 nm to 10 ?m), 0.001 to 0.5 part by weight of an alkali metal salt (C) of an organic sulfonic acid, and 0.01 to 0.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition by using a screw extruder, which comprises extruding a resin component (mainly comprising a polycarbonate) and an organic phosphorus compound having an acid value of not more than 0.1 mg KOH/g while kneading, wherein the temperature of the resin component in the extruder is not higher than 300° C., and the residence time of the resin component in the extruder is not more than 40 seconds.

Abstract: A polycarbonate resin composition for use in the production of a substrate for an optical information medium, comprising (A) an aromatic polycarbonate resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 13,000 to 18,000, wherein the aromatic polycarbonate resin (A) is produced by subjecting an aromatic dihydroxy compound and a carbonic diester to a transesterification reaction, and is substantially free of a chlorine atom; and (B) a partial ester obtained from a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid having 10 to 30 carbon atoms and a di- to hexahydric alcohol, wherein the partial ester (B) has an acid value of from 2 to 20 mgKOH.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polycarbonate resin composition for the production of a substrate for an optical information medium, comprising 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin, and 0.0005 to 1.0 part by weight of a mold release agent, wherein the composition exhibits a relative viscosity (&eegr;r) within the range of from 1.17 to 1.19, the relative viscosity (&eegr;r) being defined as the ratio (&eegr;/&eegr;o) of viscosity value (&eegr;) (25° C.) of a methylene chloride solution of the composition (concentration: 0.005 g/cm3) to viscosity value (&eegr;o) (25° C.) of methylene chloride, and wherein the relative viscosity (&eegr;r) of the composition and a melt index (MI) (JIS K 7210, at 280° C., under a load of 2.16 kg) of the composition satisfy the following formulae (I) and (II): &eegr;r≧−0.0723 log MI+1.316  (I) and &eegr;r≦−0.0723 log MI+1.324  (II).

Abstract: Disclosed is a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition, which comprises 50 to 98 parts by weight of an aromatic polycarbonate (A), 0.1 to 49 parts by weight of a copolymer (B) comprising an aromatic vinyl monomer unit (b-1) and a vinyl cyanide monomer unit (b-2), 0.5 to 30 parts by weight of a cyanide-containing, graft copolymer (C) obtained by copolymerizing an aromatic vinyl compound (c-1) and a vinyl cyanide compound (c-2) in the presence of a rubbery polymer (c-3), 0.5 to 30 parts by weight of a (meth)acrylate-containing, graft copolymer (D) obtained by copolymerizing an aromatic vinyl compound (d-1) and an alkyl (meth)acrylate (d-2) in the presence of a rubbery butadiene polymer (d-3), and 0.1 to 30 parts by weight of at least one organic phosphorus compound oligomer (E), wherein the total amount of the components (A), (B), (C) and (D) is 100 parts by weight.

Abstract: Disclosed is a substantially chlorine-free polycarbonate resin for use in the production of a substrate for an optical information medium, which is produced by transesterification reaction and which comprises a plurality of aromatic polycarbonate main chains, each comprising recurring units each independently represented by formula (1): wherein the polycarbonate main chains collectively contain therein at least one heterounit (A) of formula (2): and at least one heterounit (B) of formula (3): wherein the sum of the amounts of (A) and (B) is from 0.03 to 0.3 mole %, based on the total molar amount of units (1), and the amount of (A) is at least 50 mole %, based on the total molar amount of (A) and (B), the weight average molecular weight of the polycarbonate resin being from 13,000 to 18,000.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polycarbonate resin composition for the production of a substrate for an optical information medium, comprising 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin, and 0.0005 to 1.0 part by weight of a mold release agent, wherein the composition exhibits a relative viscosity (&eegr;r) within the range of from 1.17 to 1.19, the relative viscosity (&eegr;r) being defined as the ratio (&eegr;/&eegr;o) of viscosity value (&eegr;) (25° C.) of a methylene chloride solution of the composition (concentration: 0.005 g/cm3) to viscosity value (&eegr;o) (25° C.) of methylene chloride, and wherein the relative viscosity (&eegr;r) of the composition and a melt index (MI) (JIS K 7210, at 280° C., under a load of 2.

Abstract: Disclosed is a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition having an improved melt fluidity, which comprises (A) an aromatic polycarbonate having a weight average molecular weight of from 12,000 to 25,000, (B) a styrene-acrylonitrile-butyl acrylate copolymer having a butyl acrylate unit content of from 1 to 30% by weight, (C) a complex rubber graft copolymer obtained by a process comprising graft-polymerizing at least one graft-polymerizable monomer onto a complex rubber comprising a polyorganosiloxane and a polyalkyl (meth)acrylate, (D) a phosphoric ester, and (E) a tetrafluoroethylene polymer. The resin composition of the present invention not only has excellent melt fluidity, but is also excellent in flame retardancy, impact resistance and modulus of elasticity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition by using a screw extruder, which comprises extruding a resin component (mainly comprising a polycarbonate) and an organic phosphorus compound having an acid value of not more than 0.1 mg KOH/g while kneading, wherein the temperature of the resin component in the extruder is not higher than 300° C., and the residence time of the resin component in the extruder is not more than 40 seconds.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an aromatic polycarbonate, which comprises reacting acetone with a phenol material, thereby producing bisphenol A, and polymerizing the resultant bisphenol A with diphenyl carbonate to produce an aromatic polycarbonate while producing phenol as a by-product, wherein the by-product phenol is recovered as a crude phenol product containing the by-product phenol as a main component and containing impurities, and the crude phenol product is used as at least a part of the phenol material for producing bisphenol A. According to the method of the present invention, a crude phenol product as such, containing, as a main component, a by-product phenol which is by-produced during the polymerization reaction for producing an aromatic polycarbonate, and containing impurities, can be utilized for producing an aromatic polycarbonate, without any purification or the like.

Abstract: Disclosed is a polycarbonate comprising a plurality of aromatic polycarbonate main chains, wherein the aromatic polycarbonate main chains collectively contain specific heterounits in a specific amount in the polycarbonate main chains. The polycarbonate of the present invention can be obtained by controlling the temperature of and the residence time of the polymerizable material in the reaction zones of the reaction system so as to satisfy the specific requirements. The polycarbonate of the present invention is advantageous in that not only does it have high transparency and colorlessness as well as high mechanical strength, but also it can exhibit high non-Newtonian flow properties, so that it exhibits high molding melt fluidity. Therefore, the polycarbonate of the present invention is extremely advantageous from a commercial point of view.