Metallation of polymers and subsequent reaction to form modified or grafted polymers

Abstract

Abstract Polymers containing activated hydrogen atoms (e.g., polybutadiene) are metallated by reaction with (A) an organolithium compound (e.g., n-butyllithium) and (B) a soluble complex of a potassium or sodium alkyl-phenolate which is a reaction product of (I) an alkyl-phenol of the formula WHERE R'' is alkyl containing at least 8 carbon atoms and y is from 1 to 3, with (II) an alkali metal compound MOR'''' where R'''' is hydrogen or an aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic radical and M is potassium or sodium. An example is an alkane-soluble complex of the potassium salt (M K) of p-nonyl phenol (R'' nonyl; y 1) with water (R'''' H) formed by reaction of (I) pnonyl phenol with (II) potassium hydroxide in heptane (the water formed as a by-product in the reaction is retained as part of the soluble complex). The thus-metallated polymer may be reacted with a polymerizable compound (e.g., styrene) to form a graft copolymer useful in high impact compositions. Alternatively the metallated polymer may be reacted with a non-polymerizable compound to produce a chemically modified polymer (e.g., reaction with CO2 produces a carboxylated polymer; reaction with ethylene oxide produces hydroxyethylated polymer).

Inventors

• 👤 Frederick C Loveless

Bibliographic Details