Preparation of glycidyl ester copolymers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A COPOLYMER HAVING GLYCIDYL ESTER GROUPS WHICH COMPRISES: (1) COPOLYNERIZING, IN AN ORGANIC SOLVENT, IN THE PRESENCE OF A FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION CATALYST, (A) FROM ABOUT 5% TO ABOUT 75% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF MONOMERS PRESENT, OF A MONOMEMERIC, A,B-MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED ALIPHATIC MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID HAVING NOT MORE THAN FOUR CARBON ATOMS, WITH (B) A DIFFERENT MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED COMONOMER FREE OF CARBOXYLIC ACID GROUPS, TO FORM A FIRST COPOLYMER HAVING CARBOXYL GROUPS, SAID SOLVENT BEING AT LEAST 40% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL SOLUTION AND BEING UNREACTIVE WITH SAID MONOMERS AND SAID FIRST COPOLYMER UNDER FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS, (2) REACTING SAID FIRST COPOLYMER, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 50*C. TO 175*C. IN PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TERTIARY AMINES, QUATERNARY AMMONIUM HYDROXIDES, QUATERNARY AMMONIUM SALTS AND N-VINYLPYRROLIDONES, WITH AN EXCESS OF AN EPIHALOHYDRIN SUCH THAT THE EQUIVALENT RATIO OF SAID EPHALOHYDRIN TO CARBOXYLIC ACID GROUPS IN SAID FIRST COPOLYMER IS AT LEAST 8:1, RESPECTIVELY, TO FORM A SECOND COPOLYMER HAVING HALOHYDRIN ESTER GROUPS, AND (3) DEHYDROHALOGENATING THE HALOHYDRIN ESTER GROUPS IN SAID SECOND COPOLYMER BY REACTING SAID SECOND COPOLYMER, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 50*C. TO ABOUT 115*C., WITH SUFFICIENT ALKALINE MATERIAL TO COMBINE WITH THE HALOGEN OF SAID HALOHYDRIN ESTER GROUPS, TO FORM SAID COPOLYMER HAVING GLYCIDYL ESTER GROUPS.