GB1258637A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1,258,637. Increasing molecular weight of polymers. FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER CO. 17 March, 1969 [27 March, 1968], No. 13984/69. Heading C3P. A non-metal active polymer is treated to increase its molecular weight with a mixture of (a) a haloalkane or halocycloalkane, (b) a dialkenyl compound and (c) an alkali metal or hydrocarbyl. compound thereof (as catalyst). The very wide variety of such polymers and reactants mentioned is exemplified by the following polymers: polybutadiene, butadienestyrene, -isoprene, and -piperylene copolymers, acrylonitrile - vinyl acetate, and isoprenestyrene copolymers, polyisoprene, polystyrene, polyvinylnaphthalene, polybutene - 1, polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinyl acetate, polyalphamethyl styrene, polyallylmethylphthalate, and polyvinylmethyl ether, obtained by polymerization with n-butyl lithium and deactivation with methanol, polybutadiene obtained using a Ziegler catalyst, polystyrene obtained using benzoyl peroxide polyacrylonitrile using azo catalyst, and polymethylmethacrylate using ammonium persulphate catalyst; copolymers of isoprene-piperylene, and butadiene-styrenepiperylene or isoprene are also specified. The following reactants are exemplified (a) s-octylchloride, n - butyliodide, s - butylchloride, 1,3- dichloro - 2 - methyl propane, 2,3,4 - trichloron-hexane, a polyvinyl chloride of molecular weight 1000, 2-bromo-n-butane, 2-iodo-n-pentane, cyclohexylchloride and cycloheptyl bromide, (b) divinyl benzene, naphthalene and phthalate, divinyl ether of resorcinol, diisopropenyl benzene, diallyl benzene, ethylene glycol diacrylate and divinyl ether, and the vinyl ether of ethylene glycol monoacrylate, and (c) n-butyl lithium.