GB764299A - Improved polymers prepared from acrylonitrile - Google Patents

Abstract

Graft polymers are prepared by polymerizing in the presence of a catalyst, in solution or dispersion, from 5 to 95 parts of a monomer mixture consisting of from 85.0 to 99.5 per cent of acrylonitrile and from 15.0 to 0.5 per cent of a different, monoethylenically unsaturated compound containing a -CH=C< group and from 95 to 5 parts of an isolated polymer selected from (1), an isolated homopolymer of a compound represented by the following formul <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/1> (acrylamides) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/2> (maleamides) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/3> (fumaramides) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/4> (itaconamides) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/5> (citraconamides) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/6> (maleamates) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/7> (fumarates) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/8> and <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/9> (itaconamates) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/100> and <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/111> (citraconamates) <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/122> (acrylates) and <FORM:0764299/IV(a)/133> (vinyl carboxylic esters) wherein each R and R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R2 represents an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group and R4 represents an alkyl group containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and (2) an isolated interpolymer of a different mixture of monomers of from 1 to 99 per cent of a compound represented by the above formul and from 99 to 1 per cent of a different compound represented by the above formul or acrylonitrile. Lists of monomers (1) are given in the Specification. Other compounds specified containing the -C=C< group are styrene, alpha-methyl styrene, p-acetaminostyrene, alpha-acetoxystyrene, vinyl and vinylidene chlorides, ethyl vinyl ether, isopropyl vinyl ether, ethyl isopropenyl ketone, methyl isopropenyl ketone, methyl vinyl ketone, ethyl vinyl ketone, dimethyl maleate, diethyl maleate, diisopropyl fumarate, fumaronitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, N-vinyl phthalimide, vinyl sulphonamide, ethylene and isobutylene. Polymerization catalysts specified are benzoyl, lauryl, acetyl, acetyl benzoyl, oleoyl, triacetone and urea peroxides, t.-butyl hydroperoxide, alkyl percarbonates, sodium and potassium perborates and alkali metal and ammonium persulphates, and azines and ketazines. The persulphate catalysts may be used in conjunction with bisulphites. Polymerization may be carried out in organic solvents or aqueous acetonitrile or acetone, but is preferably effected in an aqueous medium in the presence or absence of emulsifiers such as sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium isobutylenenaphthalene sulphonate, sodium 7-ethyl-2-methyl undecane-4-sulphonate, alkali metal or amine addition salts of sulphosuccinic acid esters, alkali metal salts of fatty acids containing from 12 to 20 carbon atoms, sulphonated fatty acid amides, alkali metal salts of alkane sulphonic acids and sulphonated ethers. Also present in the reaction mixture may be chain regulators such as hexyl, octyl, lauryl, dodecyl and myristyl mercaptans. The polymers produced may be dissolved in various solvents, either alone or in admixture with polyacrylonitrile or copolymers containing at least 85 per cent of acrylonitrile, e.g. a copolymer with vinyl acetate, and the solutions used in the production of films and fibres. Solvents specified are dimethyl formamide, dimethyl acetamide, dimethyl cyanamide, dimethyl cyanoacetamide, dimethylbeta - cyanopropionamide, gamma - butyrolactone, N - methyl - 2 - pyrolidone, glyconitrile, malononitrile, ethylene cyanohydrin, ethylene carbonate, ethylene carbamate, dimethyl sulphoxide, dimethyl sulphone, tetramethylene sulphoxide, tetramethylene sulphone, N-formyl pyrolidine, N-formyl morpholine and tetramethylene methane phosphonamide. Specifications 764,296, 764,297 and 764,298 are referred to.