[AQ-2] / mol

Color stabilization of the polymers is very important for many applications. Phenolic antioxidants, however, form colored products, by their antioxidant action, which strongly contribute to the discoloration of the polymers. The discoloration of phenol-stabilized polymers is related to the formation of quinone and quinone methide derivatives having very high extinction coefficients. These processes are obviously retarded by phosphorus compounds. The strong synergism of phosphitephenol mixtures in their color-stabilizing performance is shown in Fig. 2 (16).