The present invention relates to thermoplastic aromatic polycarbonates having a content of special aryl phosphines, to their preparation, and to their use in the light engineering sector and in optics.

The present invention provides the use of polycarbonates containing carbonate structural units of the formula (I), ##STR1## for the production of optical articles, novel polycarbonates, which contain the structural units (I), together with a process for the production of these novel polycarbonates.