Quiescent suspension polymerization

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS OF MAKING SOLID POLYMERIC BODIES IN THE FORM A SPHEROIDAL GLOBULES HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE BY FORMING A SUSPENSION OF SMALL DROPLETS OF A POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID IN AN AQUEOUS NON-SOLVENT LIQUID MEDIUM AND POLYMERIZING THE POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID IN SUCH SUSPENSION BY SUBJECTING THE SAME TO CONDITION CONDUCIVE TO POLYMERIZATION WITHOUT TRUBULENCE WHEREBY THE SUSPENDED DROPLETS OF POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID ARE CONVERTED TO GLOBULES OF POLYMER HAVING APPROXIMATELY THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE AS THOSE OF THE SUSPENDED DROPLETS, THE IMPROVEMENT THAT COMPRISES MAKING A SUSPENSION OF DROPLETS OF A POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID IN AN AQUEOUS NON-SOLVENT MEDIUM BY FORMING A MIXTURE THAT COMPRISES ONE PART BY VOLUME OF A POLYMERIZABLE ORGANIC LIQUID COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE VINYLIDENE COMPOUND CAPABLE OF POLYMERIZING BY ADDITION AND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALKENYLAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, P-(CHLOROMETHYL)-STYRENE, AND VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE AND AT LEAST 0.5 PART BY VOLUME OF AN AQUEOUS NON-SOLVENT LIQUID MEDIUM WHICH COMPRISES WATER-INSOLUBLE, HYDROPHILIC, COLLOIDAL SOLID PARTICLE EMULSIFIER CAPABLE OF STABILIZING AN OIL-IN-WATER SUSPENSION AND SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF WATERINSOLUBLE, HYDROPHILIC, COLLOIDAL SOLID PARTICLES OF HYDROUS MINERAL OXIDES, SULFONATED CROSSLINKED POLYSTYRENE RESINS, AND RAW STARCHES, THE COLLOIDAL SOLID PARTICLE EMULSIFIER BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO FORM 0.01 TO 10 GRAMS PER 100 CUBIC CENTIMETERS OF THE POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID, MECHANICALLY AGITATING THE MIXTURE TO DISPERSE THE POLYMERIZABLE LIQUID, AS SMALLER-THAN-STABLE DROPLETS, IN THE NON-SOLVENT LIQUID MEDIUM, AND BRINGING THE RESULTING UNSTABLE DISPERSION TO A CONDITION OF QUIESCENCE, WHEREBY THE UNSTABLE DROPLETS UNDERGO A LIMITED COALESCENCE TO FROM A STABLE SUSPENSION OF DROPLETS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE, AND THEREAFTER POLYMERIZING THE DROPLETS WITH A PEROXY CATALYST.