Reaction rate of an emulsion polymerization process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER BY THE POLYMERIZATION OF A MONOMERIC MATERIAL COMPRISING 90 TO 65 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF 1,3-BUTADIENE AND 10 TO 35 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF STYRENE WHILE DISPERSED IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MIXING TOGETHER A SOLUTION IN STYRENE OF 0.1 TO 10 MILLIMOLS OF DIISOPROPYLBENZENE HYDROPEROXIDE AND 0.05 TO 2 PARTS OF AN ALKYL MERCAPTAN HAVING TWELVE TO SIXTEEN CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, PER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF TOTAL MONOMERIC MATERIAL, CONTACTING SAID SOLUTION WITHOUT INTIMATE ADMIXING WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SOAP, MAINTAINING SAID SOLUTIONS AT 10 TO -10* C. FOR A PERIOD OF BETWEEN 1 AND 20 HOURS, AND THEREAFTER ADMIXING SAID MIIXTURE WITH BUTADIENE AND AN IRON PYROPHOSPHATE ACTIVATOR SOLUTION, THE LATTER IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO ACTIVATE A POLYMERIZATION REACTION AND NOT GREATER THAN MOLECULARLY EQUIVALENT TO SAID HYDROPEROXIDE, AND MAINTAINTING THE RESULTING ADMIXTURE AT A POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN -40 AND 30* C. FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO POLYMERIZE 50 TO 98 PER CENT OF SAID MONOMERIC MATERIAL.