Stabilized acrylonitrile polymer composition and method of making same

Claim 1

A NEW COMPOSITION OF MATTER COMPRISING A POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) POLYACRYLONITRILE, (2) A COPOLYMER OF AT LEAST 80 PERCENT ACRYLONITRILE AND UP TO 20 PERCENT OF ANOTHER MONO-OLEFINIC MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH, AND (3) A POLYMER BLEND OF 80 TO 99 PERCENT OF (A) A COPOLYMER OF 90 TO 98 PERCENT ACRYLONITRILE AND 2 TO 10 PERCENT VINYL ACETATE, AND 1 TO 20 PERCENT OF (B) A COPOLYMER OF 10 TO 70 PERCENT ACRYLONITRILE AND 30 TO 90 PERCENT OF A TERTIARY HETEROCYCLIC AMINE CONTAINING A VINYL GROUP ATTACHED DIRECTLY TO THE HETEROCYCLIC NUCLEUS, SAID BLEND HAVING AN OVERAL TERTIARY HETEROCYCLIC AMINE CONTENT OF FROM 2 TO 10 PERCENT BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE BLEND, DISSOLVED IN A SOLVENT THEREFOR, AND 0.01 TO 2.0 PERCENT, BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE POLYMER SOLUTION, OF AND INHIBITING AGENT CONTAINING AN INORGANIC ACID HAVING AN IONIZATION CONSTANT GREATER THAN 1.86X10**5, AND AN ALDEHYDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FORMALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, ACROLEIN, PROPIONALDEHYDE, AND BENZALDEHYDE, SAID ACID BEING EMPLOYED IN A RANGE OF ABOUT 50 TO 89 PERCENT AND SAID ALDEHYDE BEING EMPLOYED IN A RANGE OF ABOUT 11 TO ABOUT 50 PERCENT, BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF SAID INHIBITING AGENT.