Process for the production of polymerization products

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING AN INTERPOLYMER SOLUBLE IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS WHICH COMPRISES HEATING IN THE PRESENCE OF A FREE RADICAL-FORMING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST, A MIXTURE OF (A) ONE MOL OF A MONOESTER OF MALEIC ACID AND A HYDROCARBON MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL WHICH HAS 1-18 CARBON ATOMS AND IS DEVOID OF ALIPHATIC CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATION AND (B) 0-1 MOL OF A FURTHER POLYMERIZABLE MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STYRENE, STYRENE BEARING INERT SUBSTITUENTS, VINYL ACETATE, VINYL CHLORIDE, VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE AND ISOBUTYLENE, THE HEATING OF SAID MIXTURE BEING SUFFICIENT TO ATTAIN A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE MIXTURE IS COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH A CONJUGATED DIENE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A CONJUGATED ALIPHATIC DIOLEFIN OF 4-6 CARBON ATOMS AND CHLOROPRENE, AND THEN ADDING 0.5-2 MOLS OF SAID CONJUGATED DIENE TO SAID REACTION MIXTURE WHILE MAINTAINING THE LATTER UNDER SAID COPOLYMERIZING CONDITIONS, THE DIENE BEING SLOWLY ADDED AT THE RATE AT WHICH IT IS CONSUMED BY POLYMERIZATION, THEREBY FORMING THE HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT INTERPOLYMER.