Oil-in-water bead polymerization of water-soluble monomers

Claim 2

AN OIL-IN-WATER POLYMERIZATION PROCESS FOR PREPARING WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS BY POLYMERIZING UP TO TWO MEMBERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VINYL, ACRYLIC AND METHACRYLIC MONOMERS, SAID MONOMERS BEING SOLUBLE IN WATER AT ANY RATIO, WHICH COMPRISES EMULSIFYING FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO 10 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN ORGANIC SOLVENT, WHICH SOLVENT DISSOLVES IN WATER AT 50*C. TO AN EXTENT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 15% BY WEIGHT AND HAS A BOILING POINT SUCH THAT THE BOILING POINT OF THE ORGANIC PHASE OF THE EMULSION IS BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE AQUEOUS PHASE, IN ONE PART BY WEIGHT OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID MONOMERS WHILE ADDING ABOUT 0.01% TO 5% BY WEIGHT OF AN EMULSIFIER TO PREPARE AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION, AND POLYMERIZING SAID MONOMERS BY ADDING A FREE RADICAL FORMING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST WHILE STIRRING SAID EMULSION AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 30* TO 100*C. TO PRECIPITATE A GRANULAR POLYMER.

Claim 3

AN OIL-IN-WATER POLYMERIZATION PROCESS FOR PREPARING WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS BY POLYMERIZING UP TO TWO MEMBERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VINYL, ACRYLIC AND METHYACRYLIC MONOMERS, SAID MONOMERS BEING SOLUBLE IN WATER AT ANY RATIO, WHICH COMPRISES EMULSIFYING FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO 10 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN ORGANIC SOLVENT, WHICH SOLVENT DISSOLVES IN WATER AT 50*C. TO AN EXTENT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 15% BY WEIGHT AND HAS A BOILING POINT SUCH THAT THE BOILING POINT OF THE ORGANIC PHASE OF THE EMULSION IS BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE AQUEOUS PHASE, IN ONE PART BY WEIGHT OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID MONOMERS AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF A MONOMER WHICH IS SPARINGLY SOLUBLE IN WATER TO AN EXTENT THAT THE POLYMERS FORMED REMAIN SOLUBLE IN WATER AT ABOUT 50*C. WHILE ADDING ABOUT 0.01% TO 5% BY WEIGHT OF AN EMULSIFIER TO PREPARE AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION, AND POLYMERIZING SAID MONOMERS BY ADDING A FREE RADICAL FORMING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST WHILE STIRRING SAID EMULSION AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 30* TO 100*C. TO PRECIPITATE A GRANULAR POLYMER.

Claim 4

AN OIL-IN-WATER POLYMERIZATION PROCESS FOR PREPARING WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS BY POLYMERIZING UP TO TWO MEMBERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VINYL, ACRYLIC AND METHYACRYLIC MONOMERS, SAID MONOMERS BEING SOLUBLE IN WATER AT ANY RATIO, WHICH COMPRISES EMULSIFYING FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO 10 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN ORGANIC SOLVENT, WHICH SOLVENT DISSOLVES IN WATER AT 50*C. TO AN EXTENT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 15% BY WEIGHT AND HAS A BOILING POINT SUCH THAT THE BOILING POINT OF THE ORGANIC PHASE OF THE EMULSION IS BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE AQUEOUS PHASE, IN ONE PART BY WEIGHT OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID MONOMERS AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF A MONOMER WHICH IS SPARINGLY SOLUBLE IN WATER TO AN EXTENT THAT THE POLYMERS FORMED REMAIN SOLUBLE IN WATER AT ABOUT 50*C. WHILE ADDING ABOUT 0.01% TO 5% BY WEIGHT OF AN EMULSIFIER TO PREPARE AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION, AND POLYMERIZING SAID MONOMERS BY ADDING A FREE RADICAL FORMING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST WHILE STIRRING SAID EMULSION AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 30* TO 100*C. TO PRECIPITATE A GRANULAR POLYMER.