Formed polymeric masses from divalent metal acrylates and processes for producing them

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FORMED CONTINOUS-PHASE WATER-INSOLUBLE, MASS OF A POLYMER OF AN ACRYLATE OF A DIVALENT METAL COMPRISING POLYMERIZING IN THE PRESENCE OF A FREE RADICAL METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONACRYLATE OF A DIVALENT METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CALCIUM, BARIUM, AND ZINC, DISSOLVED AT A CONCENTRATION OF AT LEAST 5% IN A SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER AND WATER-MISCIBLE ORGANIC SOLVENTS, THE CONTENT OF ANY WATER-INSOLUBLE AUXILLIARY SUBSTANCES PRESENT BEING NOT MORE THAN 95% BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC ACRYLATE, ANY OF SAID AUXILLIARY SUBSTANCES PRESENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC FIBROUS MATERIALS AND INORGANIC CEMENTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PORTLAND CEMENT AND HYDRAULIC CEMENT, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ANY CEMENT PRESENT BEING NOT OVER 20% BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC ACRYLATE, COALESCING THE RESULTING POLYMER TO FORM AN INTEGRAL CONTINUOUS-PHASE GEL MASS BY MAINTAINING IT IN A LIQUID AQUEOUS MEDIUM AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH DOES NOT EXCEED THE LIMITING TEMPERATURE OF SOLUBILITY OF WATER IN THE RESPECTIVE POLYMER, SAID TERMPERATURE BEING FROM 25*C. TO 45*C. FOR CALCIUM ACRYLATE AT CONCENTRATIONS OF 5% TO 30%, AND FROM 15$C. TO 30$ C. FOR ZINC ACRYLATE AND BARIUM ACRYLATE AT CONCENTRATIONS OF 5% TO 30%, ALLOWING THE COALESCED GEL MASS TO EQUILIBRATE WITH WATER BY MAINTAINING IT IN CONTACT WITH LIQUID WATER UNTIL IT CONTAINS IN THE GEL MASS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF WATER THAT CAN BE RETAINED BY THE GEL MASS WHEN STANDING IN CONTACT WITH FREE LIQUID WATER, AND SUBSQUENTLY REMOVING THE RESULTING EQUILIBRATED COALESCED GEL MASS FROM THE UNRETAINED WATER.