Halogenation of EPDM in solution in the presence of epoxide and, optionally, poly(alkylene ether) glycol

Claim 1

A method of halogenating an elastomeric, unsaturated, vulcanizable terpolymer of ethylene, an alpha-monoolefin having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and a copolymerizable non-conjugated diene, comprising providing a solution of said terpolymer in an inert organic solvent, adding to said solution a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and their interhalogen compounds, and an epoxide, subjecting the solution to a temperature within the range of from -30 to 100°C, whereby the said terpolymer becomes halogenated in the presence of said epoxide, and thereafter recovering from the solution a halogenated terpolymer characterized by viscosity stability and low gel content.

Claim 2

A method of halogenating an elastomeric, unsaturated, vulcanizable terpolymer of ethylene, an alpha-monoolefin having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and a copolymerizable non-conjugated diene, comprising providing a solution of said terpolymer in an inert organic solvent, adding to said solution a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and their interhalogen compounds, and an epoxide, subjecting the solution to a temperature within the range of from -30 to 100°C, whereby the said terpolymer becomes halogenated in the presence of said epoxide, and thereafter recovering from the solution a halogenated terpolymer characterized by viscosity stability and low gel content.

Claim 17

A method of halogenating an elastomeric, unsaturated, vulcanizable terpolymer of ethylene, an alpha-monoolefin having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and a copolymerizable non-conjugated diene, comprising providing a solution in an inert organic solvent containing from 3 to 15% by weight of said terpolymer, adding to said solution from 1 to 10 parts by weight of halogen per 100 parts by weight of said terpolymer, said halogen being selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and their interhalogen compounds, and an epoxide selected from the group consisting of epoxidized soybean oil, epoxidized higher fatty acid ester, epoxide of a diolefin polymer, bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin reaction product, and epoxide of a monomeric olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon in amount sufficient to provide from 0.05 to 2 moles of epoxide group per gram atom of halogen present, subjecting the resulting solution to a temperature of from 20° to 80°C. in the absence or near absence of light, whereby the said terpolymer becomes halogenated in the presence of said epoxide, and thereafter recovering from the solution a halogenated terpolymer containing from 0.25% to 10% halogen by weight, characterized by viscosity stability and low gel content.

Claim 18

A method of halogenating an elastomeric, unsaturated, vulcanizable terpolymer of ethylene, an alpha-monoolefin having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and a copolymerizable non-conjugated diene, comprising providing a solution in an inert organic solvent containing from 3 to 15% by weight of said terpolymer, adding to said solution from 1 to 10 parts by weight of halogen per 100 parts by weight of said terpolymer, said halogen being selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and their interhalogen compounds, and an epoxide selected from the group consisting of epoxidized soybean oil, epoxidized higher fatty acid ester, epoxide of a diolefin polymer, bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin reaction product, and epoxide of a monomeric olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbon in amount sufficient to provide from 0.05 to 2 moles of epoxide group per gram atom of halogen present, subjecting the resulting solution to a temperature of from 20° to 80°C. in the absence or near absence of light, whereby the said terpolymer becomes halogenated in the presence of said epoxide, and thereafter recovering from the solution a halogenated terpolymer containing from 0.25% to 10% halogen by weight, characterized by viscosity stability and low gel content.