Process for polymerizing monomeric materials comprising conjugated diolefins and methyl isopropenyl ketone

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR MAKING A RUBBER-LIKE COPOLYMER IN THE FORM OF A SYNTHETC LATEX BY POLYMERIZING A MIXTURE OF MONOMERIC INGREDIENTS COMPRISING A CONJUGATED DIOLEFIN AND AN UNSATURATED KETONE, THE METHOD OF INHIBITING THE OCCURRENCE OF PRECOAGULATED POLYMER WHICH COMPRISES FORMING AND MAINTAINING AT A POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE NOT HIGHER THAN 10*C. AN EMULSION CONTAINING (1) A MONOMERIC MATERIAL COMPRISING FROM 40 TO 80 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ONE CONJUGATED DIOLEFIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BUTADIENE-1,3 AND ISOPRENE, AND FROM 60 TO 20 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ONE COPOLYMERIZABLE MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED ORGANIC COMPOUND SELECTESD FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE AND MIXTURES OF METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE AND AT LEAST ONE VINYLIDENE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLONITRILE, VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE, LOWER ALKYL VINYL ETHERS CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALKYL RADICAL, LOWER ALKYL ESTERS OF ACRYLIC ACID CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALKYL RADICAL AND AMONOVINLY AROMATIC COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTNG OF MONOVINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS OF THE BENZENE SERIES AND NUCLEAR HALOGENATED MONOVINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS OF THE BENZENE SERIES, SAID MONOMERIC MATERIAL CNSISTING OF THE LEAST 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE, AND (2) AN AQUEOUS PHASE CONSISTING OF WATER CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE ANIONIC EMULSIFYING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL SALTS OF FATTY ACIDS OF TALL OIL, ALKALI METAL SALTS OF SULFATED ALIPHATIC ALCOHOLS CONTAINING AT LEAST 12 CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE, AND ALKALI METAL SALTS OF DISPROPORTIONATED ROSIN ACID, IN AMOUNT EFFECTIVE TO EMULSIFY THE MONOMERIC MATERIAL, AN OXIDANT-REDUCTANT CATALYST COMPOSITION COMPRISING A WATER-SOLUBLE IRON SALT CONTAINING THE IRON IN A CONDITION SUCH THAT THE IRON CAN CHANGE ITS VALENCE STATE REVERSIBLY, AN ORGANIC HYDROPEROXIDE AS AN OXIDANT, AN ORGANIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GLUCOSE, LEVULOSE, SORBOSE, INVERT SUGAR AND SODIUM SULFOXYLATE FORMALDEHYDE, AS A REDUCTANT, SAID CATALYTIC COMPOSITION BEING EFFECTIVE TO POLYMERIZE THE MONOMERIC MATERIAL AND SAID EMULSION HAVING APH VALUE BETWEEN 7 AND 12 AND CONTAINING THE MONOMERIC MATRIAL (1) AND THE AQUEOUS PHASE (2) IN A RATIO OF FROM 10 TO 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC MATERIAL PER 100 PARTS OF THE AQUEOUS PHASE, AND CONTINUING THE POLYMERIZATION AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 1* AND 10*C. UNTIL AT LEAST 90 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF HE MONOMERIC MATERIAL IS POLYMERIZED.