Synthetic rubber

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A SUBSTANTIALLY ASH-FREE SYNTHETIC RUBBER FROM AN EMULSION OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER LATEX PREPARED BY THE EMULSION POLYMERIZATION OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A CONJUGATED DIOLEFIN AND A CONJUGATED DIOLEFIN TOGETHER WITH AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL MONOMER POLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH, SAID POLYMERIZATION BEING CONDUCTED IN THE PRESENCE OF AT LEAST ONE EMULSIFIER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ROSIN ACID SOAPS AND FATTY ACID SOAPS, WHICH COMPRISES: INTRODUCING SAID EMULSION OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER LATEX INTO AN ELONGATED, CONFINED ZONE AT ONE END THEREOF; INTRODUCING INTO SAID CONFINED ZONE AT THE SAME END THEREOF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ACID CAPABLE OF COAGULATING SAID LATEX; FLOWING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE OF SAID LATEX EMULSION AND SAID AQUEOUS ACID SOLUTION TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CONFINED ZONE; SUBJECTING SAID FLOWING MIXTURE TO MECHANICAL AGITATION; CONCURRENTLY SUBJECTING THE MIXTURE TO MECHANICAL COMMINUTION TO COMMINUTE COAGULUM AS IT IS FORMED, THE INTENSITIES OF AGITATION AND COMMINUTION BEING CONTROLLED WITH RESPECT TO THE RETENTION TIME WITHIN SAID CONFINED ZONE TO EXPOSE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE LATEX TO SAID ACID WHEREBY CONVERSION OF THE EMULSIFIER IS QUICKLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY OBTAINED AND A COAGULUM COMPRISING PARTICLES OF A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PREDETERMINED PARTICLE SIZE AND HAVING A LOW FINES CONTENT IS PRODUCED; THE PH WITHIN THE ZONE BEING MAINTAINED AT 2.5-3.0 AND THE TEMPERATURE AT 140-165*F. FOR AN UNPIGMENTED LATEX AND AT 95-125*F. FOR A MASTERBATCH; DISCHARGING THE RESULTANT COAGULUM-BEARING MIXTURE FROM SAID CONFINED ZONE AND RECOVERING A SYNTHETIC RUBBER THEREFROM HAVING A WATER SOLUBLE ASH CONTENT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 0.5%.