Permselective membranes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SOLID, RESINOUS, PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF POLYMERIZING A MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (I) AN ADDITION POLYMERIZATION CATALYST, AND (II) A MIXTURE OF MONOMERS CAPABLE OF ADDITION COPOLYMERIZATION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) AN ION-EXCHANGE-ACTIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MOMOMER CONTAINING A CARBOXYLIC GROUP, (2) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MONOMER CONTAINING A GROUP WHICH MAY BE SUBSEQUENTLY HYDROLYZED TO FORM A CARBOXYLIC GROUP, (3) MIXTURES OF (1) AND (2), AND (4) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MONOMER CONTAINING AN ANIONEXCHANGE GROUP, AND (B) A POLYMERIZABLE ION-EXCHANGEINACTIVE MONOMERIC DILUENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (A) A POLYMERIZABLE OLEFINIC MONOMER, (B) A CROSS-LINKING OLEFINIC MONOMER CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO POLYMERIZABLE CARBON-TO-CARBON DOUBLE BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT MORE THAN 8.0 MOL PERCENT OF THE COPOLYMERIC COMPOSITION, AND (C) MIXTURES OF (A) AND (B), PRODUCING A DRY HOMOGENEOUS POLYMERIZED MEMBRANE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONVERTING THE POTENTIALLY ACTIVE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS TO ION-EXCHANGE GROUPS AND INTRODUCING WATER OF HYDRATION INTO THE MEMBRANE BY HYDROLYZING 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.