Modification of linear rubbery polymers

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MODIFYING AN IMPROVED RUBBERY POLYMER WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED BY POLYMERIZING IN SOLUTION A MONOMER SYSTEM COMPRISING A MAJOR AMOUNT OF CONJUGATED DIENE CONTAINING FROM 4 TO 8, INCLUSIVE, CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING (A) A COMPOUND OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM, GALLIUM, INDIUM, THALLIUM AND BERYLLIUM HAVING THE VALENCE LINKAGES THEREOF INDIVIDUALLY BOUND TO MEMBERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN, SATURATED ACYCLIC HYDROCARBON RADICALS, SATURATED CYCLIC HYDROCARBON RADICALS, AND AROMATIC HYDROCARBON RADICALS AND ALKALI METAL HYDRIDE, ALKALI METAL ALKYL AND ALKALI METAL ARYL COMPLEXES OF SAID COMPOUND OF A METAL AND (B) A HALIDE OF A GROUP IV METAL, AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF -100* C. 100*C. TO FORM A RUBBERY, LINEAR POLYMER, WHICH COMPRISES DEACTIVATING THE CATALYST, DILUTING THE SOLUTION TO A POLYMER CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 0.5 TO 10 WEIGHT PERCENT, SUBJECTING SAID POLYMER TO THE ACTION OF AN OXIDIZING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PEROXIDES, HYDROPEROXIDES, OXYGEN CONTAINING GASES AND MIXTURES THEREOF IN A RATIO EQUIVALENT TO FROM 0.002 TO 0.33 GRAM MOLS OF PEROXIDE PER 100 GRAMS OF POLYMER, IMMEDIATELY CONTACTING THE OXIDIZED POLYMER WITH A COMPOUND HAVING THE GENERAL FORMULA R-S-H WHEREIN R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYL, ARYL, ALKARYL, AND HALOGEN-SUBSTITUTED ALKYL, ARYL, ALKARYL AND ARALKYL RADICALS CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 16 CARBON ATOMS, IN A RATIO OF 0.0015 TO 0.15 GRAM MOLS OF SAID R-S-H COMPOUND PER 100 GRAMS OF POLYMER, SAID CONTACTING BEING CONDUCTED WITH A TEMPERATURE RANGE OF 25 TO 100*F. FOR FROM 0.25 TO 150 HOURS AND PRECIPITATING THE THUS MODIFIED POLYMER.