GB767925A - Acrylonitrile copolymers and process for making them - Google Patents

Abstract

Copolymers are prepared from acrylonitrile and the vinyl ether of an alcohol containing halogen derived from an aliphatic hydrocarbon containing 2-4 carbon atoms, and, if desired, another copolymerizable compound. The alcohol from which the ether is derived may be ethylene chlorhydrin, 1-hydroxy-3-chloropropane, 1,2 - dihydroxy - 3 - chloropropane, 1 - hydroxy - 2 - chloropropane, 1 - hydroxy - 3 - bromopropane or an analogous derivative of butane. The other copolymerizable compound may be a vinyl ester, vinyl chloride, a vinyl ether, an acrylate or methacrylate, vinyl sulphofluoride, a vinyl sulphone, styrene or a nuclearly substituted styrene, a maleate, fumarate or itaconate, vinyl pyridine or vinyl picoline. Examples describe the copolymerization of acrylonitrile and vinyl chlorethyl ether and of acrylonitrile, vinyl chlorethyl ether and allyl ethyl carbonate. The polymerization may be carried out in an aqueous medium with or without the use of an emulsifying agent which may be sodium, potassium or ammonium myristate, laurate, palmitate, stearate or oleate, an alkyl sulphonate prepared by the sulphochlorination of paraffin hydrocarbons containing 10 to 16 carbon atoms, an aralkyl sulphonate in which the alkyl radical contains 6 to 16 carbon atoms, a salt of alkyl-sulphamidoacetic acid, a sodium, potassium or ammonium salt of an alkyl-sulphuric acid containing an alkyl radical containing 10 to 20 carbon atoms, or a polyglycol derivative of the formula <FORM:0767925/IV(a)/1> where R represents an alkyl radical containing from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and x may be a whole number from 3 to 30. A salt, particularly a magnesium salt, may be added with the emulsifying agent. Polymerization may be catalysed by hydrogen peroxide, potassium persulphate, benzoyl peroxide or a redox system such as benzoyl peroxide and benzoin, potassium persulphate and bisulphite or hydrogen peroxide and sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate. The emulsifying agent, monomer mixture or catalyst may be added during the course of the polymerization. The copolymers may be reacted with ammonia or an amine such as methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, morpholine, pyridine, picoline, piperidine, quinoline, quinolidine, ethanolamine, dimethylaminoethanol, ethylene diamine or hexamethylene diamine. The copolymers and their reaction products with ammonia and amines may be used for the production of dyeable filaments and films.