Method of preparing a water soluble polymer from a water insoluble conjugated diene polymer

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A WATER SOLUBLE POLYMER FROM A WATER INSOLUBLE DIENE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HOMOPOLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS OF A CONJUGATED DIENE, THE COPOLYMERS BEING ESSENTIALLY FREE FROM FREE CARBOXYL GROUP AND THE COPOLYMERS CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE DIENE CONSTITUENTS, COMPRISING CONTACTING SAID POLYMER WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACIDIC CATALYST, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE NOT OVER 45*C. DURING THE REACTION AND, AFTER A TIME OF AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND BEFORE THE VISCOSITY OF THE REACTION MIXTURE INCREASES TO A VALUE OF OVER Z-5 ADDING AN ALCOHOLIC SOLVENT COMPATIBLE WITH THE REACTION MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT OF 10 TO 100 PERCENT BY VOLUME BASED ON THE REACTION MIXTURE, HEATING THE MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 50*C. FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR, ADDING SIFFICIENT ALKALINE MATERIAL TO PROVIDE AN ALKALINE SOLUTION, AND RECOVERING THE RESULTING WATER SOLUBLE POLYMER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A WATER SOLUBLE POLYMER FROM A WATER INSOLUBLE DIENE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HOMOPOLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS OF A CONJUGATED DIENE, THE COPOLYMERS BEING ESSENTIALLY FREE FROM FREE CARBOXYL GROUP AND THE COPOLYMERS CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE DIENE CONSTITUENTS, COMPRISING CONTACTING SAID POLYMER WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACIDIC CATALYST, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE NOT OVER 45*C. DURING THE REACTION AND, AFTER A TIME OF AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND BEFORE THE VISCOSITY OF THE REACTION MIXTURE INCREASES TO A VALUE OF OVER Z-5 ADDING AN ALCOHOLIC SOLVENT COMPATIBLE WITH THE REACTION MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT OF 10 TO 100 PERCENT BY VOLUME BASED ON THE REACTION MIXTURE, HEATING THE MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 50*C. FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR, ADDING SIFFICIENT ALKALINE MATERIAL TO PROVIDE AN ALKALINE SOLUTION, AND RECOVERING THE RESULTING WATER SOLUBLE POLYMER.