Cyanates and thiocyanates as activators for heavy-metal-free emulsion polymerization systems

Claim 1

IN THE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER BY POLYMERIZATION OF A MONOMERIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A CONJUGATED DIENE HAVING NOT MORE THAN SIX CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE WHICH DISPERSED IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING AN ALKALI METAL FATTY ACID SOAP AS AN EMULSIFIER IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC COMPOSITION COMPRISING AN OXIDANT AND A REDUCTANT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES POLYMERIZING SAID MONOMERIC MATERIAL IN THE ABSENCE OF MORE THAN TRACES OF ANY HEAVY METAL COMPOUND AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A REDUCTANT COMPRISING A COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA MCNX WHERE M REPRESENTS A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALI METALS AND AMMONIUM AND X REPRESENTS A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN AND SULFUR, TOGETHR WITH A MATERIAL WHICH ACTS AS AN OXIDANT IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID COMPOUND UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF POLYMERIZATION.