Published April 1984
This review evaluates the economics of manufacturing tetramethylxylylene dlisocyanate (TMXDI), a aliphatic isocyanate, developed by American Cyanamid Company, using a nonphosgenation process. With either m-diisopropenyl benzene (m-DIPEB) or p-DIPEB as a raw material, the process produces the respective isomer of TMXDI. The intended applications for these two isocyanates are reaction injection moldings, surface coatings, and cast elastomers in the polyurethane industry, where they would compete with MDI and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). To date, the performance of TMXDI relative to that of other isocyanates has not been completely evaluated. We can only compare these isocyanates on the basis of expected production cost and product value. We conclude that TMXDI cannot compete with MDI economically. TMXDI may be able to compete with IPDI if the cost of DIPEB can be sufficiently reduced.
