Preparation of water-soluble sulfonation products of polymeric ar-vinyltoluenes

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF WATER-SOLUBLE SULFONATES, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADMIXING, AT A SULFONATION REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN -20* AND +40*C. AND WITH AGITATION, IN THE PRESENCE OF LIQUID SULFUR DIOXIDE, A SULFONATION AGENT WHICH CONSISTS OF AT LEAST 10 MOLE PERCENT CHLOROSULFONIC ACID AND NOT MORE THAN 90 MOLE PERCENT SULFUR TRIOXIDE AND A DRY SOLID POLYMER OF ARVINYLTOLUENE IN A FINELY DIVIDED FORM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PARTICLES HAVING AVERAGE DIAMETERS NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 MICRONS AND AGGREGATES OF SUCH PARTICLES, THE AVERAGE DIAMETER OF SUCH AGGREGATES BEING NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 15 MICRONS, IN AMOUNTS CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST 0.7 MOLECULAR PROPORTIONS OF SULFONATION AGENT FOR EACH MOLECULAR PROPORTION OF MONOMERIC COMPOUND CHEMICALLY COMBINED IN THE POLYMER, SAID POLYMER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF CROSSLINKAGES AND CONTAINING AT LEAST 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ONE AR-VINYLTOLUENE CHEMICALLY COMBINED THEREIN, THE POLYMER BEING ONE WHOSE SOOLUTION IN NINE TIMES ITS WEIGHT OF TOLUENE HAS A VISCOSITY AT 25*C. NOT GREATER THAN A MAXIMUM IN THE RANGE FROM 10 CENTIPOISES, TO 40 CENTIPOISES, THE MAXIMUM WITHIN SAID RANGE BEING INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PROPORTION OF CHLOROSULFONIC ACID IN THE SULFONATION AGENT.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF WATER-SOLUBLE SULFONATES, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADMIXING, AT A SULFONATION REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN -20* AND +40*C. AND WITH AGITATION, IN THE PRESENCE OF LIQUID SULFUR DIOXIDE, A SULFONATION AGENT WHICH CONSISTS OF AT LEAST 10 MOLE PERCENT CHLOROSULFONIC ACID AND NOT MORE THAN 90 MOLE PERCENT SULFUR TRIOXIDE AND A DRY SOLID POLYMER OF ARVINYLTOLUENE IN A FINELY DIVIDED FORM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PARTICLES HAVING AVERAGE DIAMETERS NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 MICRONS AND AGGREGATES OF SUCH PARTICLES, THE AVERAGE DIAMETER OF SUCH AGGREGATES BEING NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 15 MICRONS, IN AMOUNTS CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST 0.7 MOLECULAR PROPORTIONS OF SULFONATION AGENT FOR EACH MOLECULAR PROPORTION OF MONOMERIC COMPOUND CHEMICALLY COMBINED IN THE POLYMER, SAID POLYMER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF CROSSLINKAGES AND CONTAINING AT LEAST 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ONE AR-VINYLTOLUENE CHEMICALLY COMBINED THEREIN, THE POLYMER BEING ONE WHOSE SOOLUTION IN NINE TIMES ITS WEIGHT OF TOLUENE HAS A VISCOSITY AT 25*C. NOT GREATER THAN A MAXIMUM IN THE RANGE FROM 10 CENTIPOISES, TO 40 CENTIPOISES, THE MAXIMUM WITHIN SAID RANGE BEING INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PROPORTION OF CHLOROSULFONIC ACID IN THE SULFONATION AGENT.