Hydroxyl-containing copolymers and their preparation

Claim 1

A ONE-STEP PROCESS FOR PREPARING A POLYHYDROXY COPOLYMER FROM (A) AN UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC ACID HAVING ONLY ONE CARBOXYL GROUP AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID, METHACRYLIC ACID, CROTONIC ACID AND HALF ACID-ESTERS OF MALEIC AND FUMARIC ACIDS FORMED WITH SATURATED ALCOHOLS OF FROM 1 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS, (B) AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH THE UNSATURATED ACID AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOVINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, MONOVINYL HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, VINYL ALKYL ETHERS HAVING NOT MORE THAN TWENTY CARBON ATOMS IN THE ALKYL GROUP, ALKENYL CYANIDES OF NOT OVER FOUR CARBON ATOMS, MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID ESTERS OF SATURATED MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOLS, THE ACIDS HAVING NOT MORE THAN FOUR CARBON ATOMS AND THE ALCOHOLS HAVING NOT MORE THAN TWENTY CARBON ATOMS, AND MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL ESTERS OF SATURATED MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS, THE ALCOHOLS HAVING NOT MORE THAN FOUR CARBON ATOMS AND THE ACIDS HAVING NOT MORE THAN TWENTY CARBON ATOMS, AND (C) A MONOEPOXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 1,2-ALKYLENE OXIDES, ARYL-1,2-ALKYLENE OXIDES, MONOGLYCIDYL ETHERS AND MONOGLYCIDYL ESTERS EACH HAVING NOT OVER TEN CARBON ATOMS, WHICH ONE STEP PROCESS COMPRISES IN A NON-REACTIVE SOLVENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY DISSOLVE THE RESULTING POLYHYDROXY COPOLYMER, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF BOTH A FREE RADIAL PRODUCING PEROXIDE VINYL POLYMERIZATION CATALYST AND AN EPOXYCARBOXY CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMINES AND QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS REACTING THE UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC ACID WITH THE MONOEPOXIDE WHILE CONCOMITANTLY COPOLYMERIZING THE UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC ACID WITH THE ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER, CATALYZING THE ESTERIFICATION REACTION WITH 0.5 TO 6 WEIGHT PERCENT BASED ON THE REACTANTS OF THE EPOXYCARBOXY CATALYST AND CATALYZING THE CONCOMITANT COPOLYMERIZATION REACTION WITH 1 TO 4 WEIGHT PERCENT BASED ON THE REACTANTS OF THE PEROXIDE CATALYST, THE CATALYST AMOUNTS WITHIN SAID RANGES BEING SUCH THAT EACH REACTION IS INITIATED AT THE REACTION TEMPERATURE BY THE CATALYST EMPLOYED, AND MAINTAINING A REACTION TEMPERATURE OF 60*C. TO THE REFLUX TEMPERATURE OF THE SYSTEM UNTIL AN ACID VALUE IN THE RANGE OF 13 TO 0 IS OBTAINED AND THE CONCOMITANT POLYMERIZATION REACTION IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE, THE UNSATURATED ACID AND ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER BEING EMPLOYED IN AMOUNTS SUCH THAT THE RESULTING COPOLYMER CONTAINS 5 TO 75 WEIGHT PERCENT HYDROXY ESTER AND 25 TO 95 PERCENT ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER.