Process for preparing prevulcanized chloroprene polymer latices

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A PREVULCANIZED CHLOROPRENE POLYMER LATEX WHICH COMPRISES: (I) POLYMERIZING CHLOROPRENE IN AQUEOUS EMULSION IN THE PRESENCE OF (A) FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO 2 KPARTS BY WIGHT, PER 100 PARTS OF MONOMER OF A DIALKYL XANTHOGEN DISULFIDE IN WHICH EACH ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM ABOUT 1 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS, AND (B) FROM ABOUT 3 TO 5 PARTS BY WEIGHT, PER 100 PARTS OF MONOMER, OF AN EMULSIFYING COMPOSITION COMPRISING FRM ABOUT 15 TO 50 WEIGHT PERCENT OF A FATTY ACID SOAP AND FROM ABOUT 50 TO 85 WEIGHT PERCENT OF A ROSIN ACID SOAP, SAID POLYMERIZATION BEING CARRIED OUT TO THE MAXIMUM MONOMER CONVERSION AT WHICH ONLY SOL POLYMER IS OBTAINED; (II) TREATING THE RESULTING LATEX AT A PH GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 AND IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE FREE OF ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN BY ADDING THERETO AT LEAST ABOUT 0.005 MOLE, PLER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT THERETO AT LEAST ABOUT 0.005 MOLE, PER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF POLYMER IN THE LATEX, OF A MIXTURE COMPRISING (A) A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDRAZINE, A PRIMARY MONAMINE AND A PRIMARY POLYAMINE, IN WHICH LAST TWO COMPOUNDS THE AMINO GROUP IS ATTACHED TO AN ALIPHATIC CARBON ATOM, AND (B) A SECONDARY MONOAMINE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SECONDARY MONOAMINES IN WHICH THE AMINO GROUP IS ATTACHED ONLY TO ALIPHATIC CARBON ATOMS, AND SECONDARY MONOAMINES IN WHICH THE AMINO GROUP IS PART OF A SATURATED HETEROCYCLIC RING, THE MOLAR RATIO OF (A) TO (B) BEING IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.5 TO 5 OF (A) TO 1 OF (B); AND, (III) SUBJECTING THE RESULTING TREATED LATEX TO A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 10*C. TO 100*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT THE SOL POLYMR CONTAINED IN THE LATEX TO GET POLYMER.