Process for preparing terminally reactive polymers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR FORMING A TERMINALLY REACTIVE POLYMER HAVING TERMINALLY REACTIVE GROUPS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MERCAPTO, HYDROXY, AND ACIDIC GROUPS, COMPRISING CONTACTING A MONOMER SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE POLYMERIZABLE VINYLIDENE COMPOUND WITH AN ORGANO ALKALI METAL POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR UNDER POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS TO FORM A POLYMER CONTAINING TERMINAL ALKALI METAL ATOMS AND HAVING THE FORMULA Y-P-Y, WHEREIN P IS SAID POLYMER AND Y IS ONE OF SAID ALKALI METAL ATOMS, REACTING SAID POLYMER CONTAINING TERMINAL ALKALI METAL ATOMS WITH A SUITABLE REAGENT TO FORM A POLYMERIC MATERIAL HAVING THE FORMULA R-P-R, WHERE R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF -OY, -SY, AND ALKALI METAL SALT OF AN ACID, O BEING OXYGEN AND S BEING SULFUR, AND TREATING SAID POLYMERIC MATERIAL WITH ANHYDROUS HYDROGEN CHLORIDE TO FORM A TERMINALLY REACTIVE POLYMER HAVING TERMINALLY REACTIVE GROUPS SELECGED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MERCAPTO, HYDROXY, AND ACIDIC GROUPS.