Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
Patent
1996-10-25
1998-02-17
Schofer, Joseph L.
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
5263442, C08F 428
Patent
active
057192430
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method of radically (co)polymerizing vinyl ester, vinyl halide, diene, acrylonitrile and .alpha.-olefin monomers, optionally with one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers, in the presence of a peroxyacid chain transfer agent to thereby control the molecular weight of the resulting (co)polymer, to (co)polymers produced by this method and to the use of peroxyacids as molecular weight regulating agents in the polymerization of these monomers.
The general concept of employing a molecular weight regulating agent, also known as a chain transfer agent, as an additive during polymerization reactions has been known for a long time. However, these chain transfer agents suffer from several disadvantages. For example, they often retard the polymerization reaction. Further, many chain transfer agents contain mercaptan or other sulfur-containing functional groups making their use and handling undesirable due to safety and environmental concerns. Finally, many chain transfer agents only function well in a particular reaction and cannot be used for other polymerization reactions or with a variety of different initiators.
In the (co)polymerization of vinyl chloride monomers, it is often desirable to obtain lower molecular weight products. This can be achieved either by polymerization at high temperature and pressure or by the use of a chain transfer agent. The first alternative is often undesirable since it places special demands on the reactor and the type and amount of polymerization initiator to be employed.
The second alternative, use of a chain transfer agent selected from 2-mercaptoethanol, 2-ethylhexylthioglycolate and 2-ethylhexanal suffers from the disadvantages that the polymerization reaction is significantly retarded by these chain transfer agents, and some of these materials are undesirable for safety and environmental reasons.
It is the object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages of known chain transfer agents by providing peroxyacid chain transfer agents which are not based on undesirable sulfur-containing groups and which do not or not substantially retard the polymerization reaction, but rather, may even accelerate the polymerization reaction. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the summary and detailed description which follow.
In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method of radically (co)polymerizing vinyl ester, vinyl halide, diene, acrylonitrile and .alpha.-olefin monomers, optionally with one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers, using a polymerization initiator in the presence of an amount of at least one peroxyacid chain transfer agent effective to reduce the molecular weight of the (co)polymer in comparison to a (co)polymer made by the same process without chain transfer agent. The peroxyacid chain transfer agent used in the method of the present invention is selected from the group of compounds which contain the moiety of the formula I: ##STR1##
More particularly, the preferred peroxyacids useful in the process of the present invention are selected from the group represented by the following formulae: ##STR2## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3, C(O)OOH, C(O)OH, C(O)OCH.sub.3, C(O)OR.sub.1, C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.20 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 aryl, C.sub.7 -C.sub.20 aralkyl and C.sub.7 -C.sub.20 alkaryl, wherein the alkyl groups may be linear or branched and wherein the alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl and alkaryl groups are optionally substituted with one or more groups Y, wherein Y is a group selected from --C(O)OOH, hydroxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, epoxy, halogen, --C(O)OR.sub.1, --OC(O)R.sub.1, --C(O)OH, nitrile, nitro, --C(O)NR.sub.1 R.sub.2, --C(O)NHR.sub.1, --C(O)NH.sub.2, --N(R.sub.1)C(O)R.sub.2, --SO.sub.2 NR.sub.1 R.sub.2, --SO.sub.2 NHR.sub.1, --SO.sub.2 NH.sub.2, and --N(R.sub.1)SO.sub.2 R.sub.2 ; wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of C.sub.2 -C.sub.20 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.20 cycloal
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Alferink Petrus Johannes Theodorus
Meijer John
Westmijze Hans
Akzo Nobel nv
Mancini Ralph J.
Morris Louis A.
Sarofim N.
Schofer Joseph L.
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