Copolymers of styrene and methyl methacrylate

Claim 1

A METHOD WHICH COMPRISES HEATING AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT POLYMERIZATION RECTION TEMPERATURE IN A POLYMERIZATION REACTION ZONE AN ANHYDROUS HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID REACTION MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) A MONOMERIC PORTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PROPORTION IN THE RANGE FROM 5 TO 95 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF STYRENE AND FROM 95 TO 5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF MTHYL METHACRYLATE IN A TOTAL OF 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION, (B) THE COPOLYMER PRODUCT OF COPOLYMERIZATION OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 10 PRECENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE TO 60 PERCENT OF THE COMBINED WEIGHTS OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION AND THE COPOLYMER PRODUCT, (C) A NON-POLYMERIZABLE, INERT, ANHYDROUS, MISCIBLE LIQUID DILUENT IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 0 TO 30, INCLUSIVE, PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE, AND (D) A FREE-RADICAL-GENERATING CATALYST IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 0 TO 1, INCLUSIVE, PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE, COPOLYMERIZING THE STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE IN THAT REACTION MIXTURE, MAINTAINING THE RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE REACTION MIXTURE SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AT THE VALUES AFORESAID BY CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO THE REACTION MIXTURE FURTHER AMOUNTS OF CONSTITUENTS (A), (C), AND (D) AS NEEDED AD INTIMATELY MIXING THE ADDED CONSTITUENTS WITH THE MIXTURE IN THE REACTION ZONE, AND SEPARATING FROM AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE THE RESULTING CONSTITUENT COPOLYMER OF STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE.

Claim 2

A METHOD WHICH COMPRISES HEATING AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT POLYMERIZATION RECTION TEMPERATURE IN A POLYMERIZATION REACTION ZONE AN ANHYDROUS HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID REACTION MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (A) A MONOMERIC PORTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PROPORTION IN THE RANGE FROM 5 TO 95 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF STYRENE AND FROM 95 TO 5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF MTHYL METHACRYLATE IN A TOTAL OF 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION, (B) THE COPOLYMER PRODUCT OF COPOLYMERIZATION OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 10 PRECENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE TO 60 PERCENT OF THE COMBINED WEIGHTS OF THE MONOMERIC PORTION AND THE COPOLYMER PRODUCT, (C) A NON-POLYMERIZABLE, INERT, ANHYDROUS, MISCIBLE LIQUID DILUENT IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 0 TO 30, INCLUSIVE, PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE, AND (D) A FREE-RADICAL-GENERATING CATALYST IN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VALUE IN THE RANGE FROM 0 TO 1, INCLUSIVE, PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE WHOLE REACTION MIXTURE, COPOLYMERIZING THE STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE IN THAT REACTION MIXTURE, MAINTAINING THE RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE REACTION MIXTURE SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT AT THE VALUES AFORESAID BY CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO THE REACTION MIXTURE FURTHER AMOUNTS OF CONSTITUENTS (A), (C), AND (D) AS NEEDED AD INTIMATELY MIXING THE ADDED CONSTITUENTS WITH THE MIXTURE IN THE REACTION ZONE, AND SEPARATING FROM AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE THE RESULTING CONSTITUENT COPOLYMER OF STYRENE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE.