Process of coupling alkali metal-terminated polymers with silicic compound in presence of conjugated dienes

Claim 2

A process according to claim 2 wherein said conjugated diene coupling accelerator contains from four to eight carbon atoms per molecule.

Claim 3

A process according to claim 3 wherein said minor effective amount of at least one conjugated diene coupling accelerator is from 0.5 to 20 moles.

Claim 4

A process according to claim 4 wherein said polymer is a copolymer of a conjugated diene containing up to 12 carbon atoms per molecule and a vinyl-substituted aromatic compound containing up to 12 carbon atoms in combined substituents, wherein said silicic coupling agent is silicone polyhalide, silane containing at least two reactive groups, open-chain siloxane of up to 12 silicone atoms per molecule, or cyclic siloxane of up to 6 silicone atoms per molecule.

Claim 5

A process according to claim 5 wherein said silicic coupLing agent is a siloxane or RnSiX4 m wherein R is hydrogen or an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl radical containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X is halogen or YR wherein Y is O, NR or S, and n is an integer from 0 to 2.

Claim 6

A process according to claim 6 wherein said silicic coupling agent is RnSiX4 m

Claim 7

A process according to claim 7 wherein said alkali metal is lithium, and said RnSiX4 n is an alkyl silicon polyhalide.

Claim 8

A process according to claim 8 wherein said conjugated diene is butadiene or isoprene, said alkyl group is methyl, and n 1.

Claim 9

A process according to claim 8 wherein said vinyl-substituted aromatic compound is styrene, said alkyl group is methyl, and n 1.

Claim 10

A process according to claim 5 wherein said silicic coupling agent is of open-chain siloxane or said cyclic siloxane, said open-chain siloxane can be represented by the general formula R3 aXaSiO(SiR2 bXbO)qSiXaR3 a and said cyclic siloxane can be represented by the general formula: R2 bXbSiO(SiR2 bXbO)rSiXbR2 bO wherein each R is hydrogen or alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl radical containing from one to 20 carbon atoms per R group, X is halogen or YR wherein Y is 0, NR or S, a is 0 or an integer up to 3, b is 0 or an integer up to 2, such that the sum of a''s and b''s is at least 2, q is 0 or an integer up to 10, and r is an integer of 1 to 4.

Claim 11

A process according to claim 2 wherein said conjugated diene coupling accelerator is butadiene; isoprene; 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene; piperylene; 2-ethyl-1,3-pentadiene; 1,3-hexadiene; 3-methyl-1,3-heptadiene; 1,3-octadiene; 4,5-diethyl-1,3-octadiene; 2-phenyl-1,3-butadiene; chloroprene; fluoroprene; 2-methoxy-1,3-butadiene; 2-ethoxy-3-ethyl-1,3-butadiene; or 2-ethoxy-3-methyl-1,3-hexadiene.