Elastomeric permselective membranes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A SOLID VULCANIZED RESINOUS HOMOGENEOUS ELASTOMERIC PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE, WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF POLYMERIZING A DRY MIXTURE OF MONOMERS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) AN ION-EXCHANGE-ACTIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MONOMER CONTAINING A GROUP WHICH MAY BE HYDROLIZED TO FORM A CARBOXYL GROUP, (2) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC CARBOXYLIC COMPOUND, (3) MIXTURES OF (1) AND (2), AND (4) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MONOMER CONTAINING AN ANION-EXCHANGE GROUP, AND (B) AN ION-EXCHANGE-INACTIVE MONOMERIC DILUENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) A POLYMERIZABLE, OLEFINIC MONOMER, (B) A POLYMERIZABLE CONJUGATED DIOLEFIN, AND (C) MIXTURES THEREOF, VULCANIZING THE RESULTING COMPOSITION WITH A VULCANIZING AGENT TO PRODUCE A DRY, HOMOGENEOUS, ELASTOMERIC MEMBRANCE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONVERTING THE POTENTIALLY ACTIVE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS TO IONEXCHANGE GROUPS AND INTRODUCING WATER OF HYDRATION TO THE MEMBRANE BY HYDROLYZING SAID DRY, VULCANIZED, ELASTOMERIC MEMBRANE IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING A HYDROLYSIS CATALYST TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO PRODUCE ION-EXCHANGE GROUPS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SAID MEMBRANE IN AN AMOUNT FROM ABOUT ONE TO ABOUT SIX MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER GRAM OF DRY MEMBRANE.