The development of polymer and polymer additives from renewable biosources is becoming increasingly prominent. This reflects increasing concerns about sustainability, environmental quality, and human health. Bioproducts produced in nature are generally inexpensive and benign in the environment. Moreover, degradation of derivatives does not yield toxic products. Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is found widely in nature and has long been touted for its medicinal qualities. 3,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid is also produced by several plants, most notably buckwheat. Both compounds, as the anilide and methyl ester, respectively, have been converted to a series of phosphorus esters, both phosphonate and phosphate. Esters have been fully characterized using spectroscopic and thermal methods. These compounds display good flame retardancy at low loadings in DGEBA epoxy resin.

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Summary Castor oil is a triglyceride extracted from the seed (castor bean) of the castor plant. This plant will thrive on relatively poor soil and in an arid climate. The oil is nonedible but is produced annually in large volume to be converted to biodiesel (largely for the European market). The oil contains both unsaturation and hydroxyl functionality that may be utilized for conversion to flame retarding materials. A series of phosphorus esters has been generated from castor oil. All display good flame retardancy in the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. Introduction of bromine at the double bond generally enhances the flame retardancy of these esters.