Xanthogen disulfide and amine preparation of polychloroprene

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PREVULCANIZED CHLOROPRENE POLYMER LATEX FROM WHICH FILMS OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH MAY BE PRODUCED, SAID PROCESS BEING CARRIED OUT BY (1) POLYMERIZING CHLOROPRENE IN AQUEOUS EMULSION IN THE PRESENCE OF ABOUT 0.05 TO 2 PARTS, BY WEIGHT, PER 100 PARTS OF MONOMER, OF A DIALKYL XANTHOGEN DISULFIDE, THE ALKYL GROUP OF SAID DISULFIDE CONTAINING 1 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS, SAID POLYMERIZATION BEING CARRIED OUT TO THE MAXIMUM MONOMER CONVERSION AT WHICH ONLY SOL POLYMER IS OBTAINED, FOLLOWED BY (2) ADDING TO THE RESULTING LATEX AT LEAST 0.005 MOLE, PER 100 PARTS OF SAID POLYMER, OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDRAZINE, AN ALIPHATIC PRIMARY MONOAMINE AND AN ALIPHATIC PRIMARY POLYAMINE, AND THEN (3) SUBJECTING THE LATEX TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 10*C. TO 100*C. UNTIL THE SOL POLYMER CONTAINED IN THE EMULSION IS CONVERTED TO GEL POLYMER, THE TREATMENT WITH SAID AMINE BEING CARRIED OUT AT A PH GREATER THAN 140 AND IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE.