Epoxide resin

Claim 1

IN MAKING A RESIN CHARACTERIZED BY BEING LIQUID BEFORE CURING AND SOLID AND SUBSTANTIALLY NON-THERMOPLASTIC AFTER CURING IN CONTACT WITH AN ALKALINE CURING AGENT FOR EPOXIDE RESINS, THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES DISSOLVING PHENOL IN WARM WATER IN THE PROPORATION OF AT LEAST 50 PARTS FOR 1 MOLE OF THE PHENOL, ADMIXING ACID IN AMOUNT TO REDUCE THE PH AT LEAST AS LOW AS 2, INTRODUCING FORMALDEHYDE INTO THE PREDILUTED, WARMED ACIDIFIED PHENOL SOLUTION AT A SLOW RATE SO THAT CONDENSATION OF THE FORMALDEHYDE WITH THE PHENOL MAINTAINS THE CONCENTRATION OF UNREACTED FORMALDEHYDE IN THE SOLUTIOOM OF ALL TIMES AT A LEVEL NOT ABOVE 1% BY WEIGHT, DICONTINUING THE ADDITION OF FORMALDEHYDE WHEN THE PROPORTION INTRODUCED IS 0.3-0.9 MOLE FOR EACH MOLE OF PHENOL, THEN NEUTRALIZING THE ACIDITY BY THE ADDITION OF AN ALKALI, MIXING THE CONDENSATE SO MADE WITH A CHLOROEPOXYALKANE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF EPICHLOROHYDRIN, ALPHA-GLYCEROLDICHLOROHYDRIN, AND 3-CHLORO-1,2-EPOXYBUTANE AND WITH AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE IN THE PROPORTION OF AT LEAST 1 MOLE FOR EACH ATOM OF ACHLORINE TO BE CONVERTED TO CHLORIDE, MAINTAINING THE MIXTURE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE UNTIL REACTION OF THE MIXED MATERIALS IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE, AND THEN SEPARATING THE BY-PRODUCT CHLORIDE SALT FROM THE RESIN SO MADE.