Method of elasticizing plastic carboxyl containing synthetic polymeric rubbery materials and elastic products produced thereby

Claim 1

THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING A MIXTURE OF (1) A PLASTIC SYNTHETIC RUBBERY POLYMERIC MATERIAL COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY LINEAR CARBON CHAINS TO WHICH ARE ATTACHED FROM 0.001 TO 0.03 CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED -COOH PER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF POLYMERIC MATERIAL, SAID SYNTHETIC RUBBERY POLYMERIC MATERIAL BEING SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYMERS OF AN OPEN-CHAIN ALIPHATIC CONJUGATED DIENE, POLYMERS OF ALKYL ACRYLATES AND POLYMERS OF ISOOLEFINS, (2) A POLYVALENT METAL OXIDE AND (3) AN ACIDIC SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS AND CARBOXYLIC ACID ANHYDRIDES, SAID METAL OXIDE AND SAID ACIDIC SUBSTANCE BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNTS, RESPECTIVELY, EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST ONE-HALF AND AT LEAST ONEFIFTH OF SAID COMBINED -COOH OF SAID POLYMERIC MATERIAL, AND THEN HEATING THE RESULTING PLASTIC COMPOSITION AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 125 TO 400* F. UNTIL SAID PLASTIC COMPOSITION HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO AN ELASTIC POLYMERIC METALLO-CARBOXYLATE BY SALT FORMATION BETWEEN THE METALLIC CATION OF SAID METAL OXIDE AND THE COMBINED -COOH GROUPS OF THE PLASTIC POLYMERIC MATERIAL.