of ethanol needed for the ne btda used is 2 57 moles thus an excess of 0 12 moles is employed to ensure complete or near complete conversion since this type of reaction is an esterification which always requires an excess of alcohol the alcohol is not there as a solvent the esterification reaction was for one hour at reflux approximately 351 4k and was carried out in a three neck round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical stirring device when all of the monomers had gone into solution the refluxing was continued for one half hour longer the solution was allowed to cool to 310k 320k and then mixed with jeffamine ap 22 2 56 molar equivalents of amine which had previously been warmed to 310k 320k the solution was cooled bottled and refrigerated since the ester acids tend to disproportionate on standing the refrigeration helps extend the solution stability the original final version of larc 160 u s pat no 4 166 170 contained btde 0 67 mole ne 1 22 mole ethanol 0 12 mole and jeffamine ap 22 2 56 mole the process for preparation was the same as previously described the amount of ethanol and jeffamine ap 22 remained the same in the present invention as that described in u s pat no 4 166 170 2 57 moles of the ethanol was consumed in preparing the ne btde esterfication in.