Process for polymerizing isoprene with a lithium catalyst and a halogen adjuvant

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A HIGH CIS POLYISOPRENE OF IMPROVED PROCESSABILITY CHARACTERISTICS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING ISOPRENE UNDER POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS OF -100 TO 150*C. AND A PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE LIQUID PHASE CONDITIONS WITH AN INITIATOR IN THE PRESENCE OF A HALOGEN ADJUVANT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING LOF RX, HX, AND X2 WHEREIN X IS HALOGEN AND WHEN X IS ONE OF CL, BR, I, R IS A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SATURATED ALIPHATIC, SATURATED CYCLOALIPHATIC, AND AROMATIC RADICALS AND WHEN X IS F, R IS A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SATURATED ALIPHATIC AND SATURATED CYCLOALIPHATIC RADICALS, WHEN THE HALOGEN ADJUVANT IS ONE OF HX AND X2 SAID HALOGEN ADJUVANT BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE INHERENT VISCOSITY OF THE FINAL POLYMER WITHOUT DESTROYING THE INTITIATOR, THE INITIATOR IS THAT FORMED BY REACTING LITHIUM WITH A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUNDS, HALOGEN DERIVATIVES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATICS CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 HALOGEN ATOMS PER MOLECULE, AND POLYARYLSUBSTITUTED ETHYLENES CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 ARYL GROUPS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENYL AND NAPHTHYL, AND WHEN THE HALOGEN ADJUVANT IS RX THE INITIATOR IS FORMED BY REACTING A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LITHIUM AND ORGANOLITHIUM COMPOUNDS WITH A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATICS, HALOGEN DERIVATIVES OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATICS CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 HALOGEN ATOMS PER MOLECULE, POLYARYL SUBSTITUTED ETHYLENE, AND BIHALOGEN-CONTAINING ARYL-SUBSTITUTED ETHANES CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 4 ARYL GROUPS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENYL AND NAPHTHYL.