Polyurethane polymers from lactone polyesters

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ISOCYANATO TERMINATED LACTONE POLYESTER POLYURETHANE POLYMERS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING HYDROXYL TERMINATED LACTONE POLYESTERS WITH AN ORGANIC DIISOCYANATE, AT A MOLAR RATIO OF SAID DIISOCYANATE TO SAID LACTONE POLYESTERS GREATER THAN ONE; SAID HYDROXYL TERMINATED LACTONE POLYESTERS BEING FORMED BY THE REACTION OF AN ADMIXTURE CONTAINING A LACTONE AND AN ORGANIC BIFUNCTIONAL INITIATOR; SAID LACTONE BEING IN MOLAR EXCESS WITH RELATION TO SAID INITIATOR; SAID LACTONE HAVING FROM SIX TO EIGHT CARBON ATOMS IN THE LACTONE RING AND AT LEAST ONE HYDROGEN SUBSTITUENT ON THE CARBON ATOM WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE OXY GROUP IN SAID RING; SAID ORGANIC BIFUNCTIONAL INITIATOR HAVING TWO REACTIVE HYDROGEN SUBSTITUENTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROXYL, PRIMARY AMINO, SECONDARY AMINO, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, EACH OF SAID REACTIVE HYDROGEN SUBSTITUENTS BEING CAPABLE OF OPENING THE LACTONE RING WHEREBY SAID LACTONE IS ADDED TO SAID INITIATOR AS A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAR GROUP THERETO; SAID HYDROXYL TERMINATED LACTONE POLYESTERS POSSESSING, ON THE AVERAGE, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID LINEAR GROUPS, EACH OF SAID LINEAR GROUPS HAVING A TERMINAL OXY GROUP AT ONE END, A CARBONYL GROUP AT THE OTHER END, AND AN INTERMEDIATE CHAIN OF FROM FIVE TO SEVEN CARBON ATOMS WHICH HAS AT LEAST ONE HYDROGEN SUBSTITUENT ON THE CARBON ATOM IN SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAIN THAT IS ATTACHED TO SAID TERMINAL OXY GROUP; SAID HYDROXYL TERMINATED LACTONE POLYESTERS HAVING AN AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF FROM ABOUT 300 TO 7,000 AND A HYDROXYL NUMBER OF FROM 374 TO 16.