GB843825A - Polymers - Google Patents

Abstract

A polymer containing ester linkages, useful for casting, coating, impregnating, moulding or potting, is made by reacting a diallylidene pentaerythrital with a polycarboxylic acid. The diallylidene pentalrythrital is the condensation product of pentaerythritol with acrolein or an acetalforming substitution product thereof (e.g. methacrolein, crotonaldehyde or chlorallylidene diacetate). The polycarboxylic acid may be oxalic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, adipic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, sebacic, tartaric, malic, chlorosuccinic, methylene disalicylic, tricarballylic, aconitric, citric, phthalic, isophthalic, terephthalic, diphenic, pyromellitic, mellitic, maleic, fumaric, citraconic, mesaconic or glutaric acid. The reaction mixture may also contain a monocarboxylic acid to act as a chain-stopper (e.g. acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, stearic or benzoic acid). Catalysts for the reaction are phosphoric, oxalic, p-toluene sulphonic m-benzene disulphonic, camphor sulphonic,2-chlorcymol -5-sulphonic, methane sulphonic, and ethane sulphonic acids; also aluminium trichloride, boron trifluoride and stannic chloride. Reaction is effected at 50 DEG -150 DEG C, if desired in the presence of a solvent (e.g. dioxane, dimethyl sulphoxide, ethyl acetate, chloroform or acetone). The polymers prepared from unsaturated polycarboxylic acids may be copolymerized with an ethylenically unsaturated monomer (e.g. styrene, divinyl benzene, diallyl phthalate, diallyl maleate or methyl methacrylate) in the presence of a free-radical catalyst (e.g. benzoyl peroxide, azobisisobutyronitrile, azoisovaleronitrile or lauroyl peroxide). In examples (1)-(4) Polymers are obtained by reacting diallylidene pentaerythritol with adipic acid, sebacic acid, glutaric acid or pimelic acid; (5)-(6) A polymer obtained by reacting diallylidene pentaerythritol with maleic acid is either poured into a mould and heathardened or copolymerized with styrene in the presence of benzoyl peroxide.