Catalysis in competing isocyanate reactions. I. Effect of organotin–tertiary amine catalysts on phenyl isocyanate and N-butanol reaction

An analytical method based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed to investigate the competing isocyanate reactions under the influence of various catalysts. The kinetics of the model reaction between phenyl isocyanate and n-butanol was studied in acetonitrile at 50°C. Effects of various catalysts such as an organotin compound, dibutyltin dilaurate, and tertiary amines, 1,4-diazabicyclo-(2,2,2)octane,N,N′,N″-pentamethyldiprophylene triamine,N,N′N″-tris(3-dimethyl-aminopropyl)-3-hexahydrotriazine, and N,N,N′-trimethylaminoethyl-ethanolamine on the reaction rate and the formation of reaction products were investigated. The reactions were followed by determining the NCO disappearance using the standard di-n-butylamine back-titration method as well as measuring the formation of various reaction products using the HPLC method. The relative specificity of a catalyst in isocyanate reactions can thus be determined from the profile of the model reaction which depends upon the structure of the catalyst employed.