Process of polymerizing ester of acrylic or methacrylic acids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING POLYMERS OF MOLECULAR WEIGHTS BETWEEN ABOUT 90,000 AND ABOUT 1,000,000 WHICH COMPRISES POLYMERIZING IN LIQUID AMMONIA UNDER ANYDROUS CONDITIONS BELOW 0*C., AN ESTER OF AN ACID FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC AND METHYACRYLIC ACIDS AND OF A MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL HAVING THE NON-HYDROXYL PORTION FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALKYL GROUPS OF NOT OVER EIGHT CARBON ATOMS, ALKENYL GROUPS OF THREE TO EIGHTEEN CARBON ATOMS, BENZYL GROUPS, PHENYL GROUPS, AND ALICYCLIC HYDROCARBON GROUPS UP TO TEN CARBON ATOMS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A MIXTURE OF POLYMERIZATION CATALYSTS, SAID MIXTURE CONTAINING AN ALKALI METAL CATALYST HAVING AN ATOMIC WEIGHT FROM ABOUT 2O TO ABOUT 3. AND A SECOND CATALYST BASED ON A METAL FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF LITHIUM, CALCIUM STRONTIUM, AND BARIUM, AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CATALYST BEING A SALT OF AN ACID OF PKA FROM 16 TO 36, THE RATIO OF THE SAID ALKALI METAL CATALYST TO THE SAID SECOND CATALYST ON THE BASIS OF METAL ATOMS THEREIN BEING FROM ABOUT 3.6:1 TO 0.1:1 WHEN METACRYLIC ACID ESTER ARE POLYMERIZED AND FROM ABOUT 10:1 TO 1:1 WHEN ACRYLIC ACID ESTERS ARE POLYMERIZED.