Polymeric phenolic antioxidants

Claim 2

A material consisting essentially of a compound having the structural formula ##STR12## wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive, and R 2 is hydrogen.

Claim 3

The compound of claim 1, wherein R 1 is a methyl group.

Claim 4

A polymer comprising n units of a monomer of the formula ##STR13## wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive, R 2 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons, and n is from 3 to 2,000.

Claim 5

A polymer comprising n units of a monomer of the formula ##STR13## wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive, R 2 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons, and n is from 3 to 2,000.

Claim 6

The polymer of claim 3, wherein R 1 is methyl, and n is from 20 to 1,500.

Claim 7

The polymer of claim 4, wherein R 2 is methyl or hydrogen.

Claim 8

The polymer of claim 3, consisting essentially of n units of the formula ##STR14##

Claim 9

The polymer of claim 3, additionally comprising m units of a comonomer, wherein m is from 0.25 to 2.0 times n.

Claim 10

The polymer of claim 7 wherein R 1 is methyl and R 2 is methyl or hydrogen.

Claim 11

The polymer of claim 8 wherein the comonomer is hydrolyzed maleic anhydride.

Claim 12

The process for preparing the compound ##STR15## which comprises forming, a mixture of an alkylphenol of the formula ##STR16## wherein R 1 is a saturated lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and R 2 is hydrogen or a saturated lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, from about 1 to about 5 moles per mole of alkylphenol of divinylbenzene and a catalytically effective amount of a metal phenoxide alkylation catalyst selected from the group consisting of aluminum III phenoxide, zirconium IV phenoxide, hafnium IV phenoxide, tantalum V phenoxide, and gallium III phenoxide; maintaining the mixture at an elevated temperature of from 75° to about 300° C for from 10 minutes to about 20 hours; and thereafter separating the compound of claim 1 from the metal phenoxide alkylation catalyst.

Claim 13

The process of claim 10 wherein R 1 is methyl and R 2 is methyl or hydrogen and the metal phenoxide alkylation catalyst is aluminum III phenoxide.

Claim 14

The process for preparing the polymer of claim 3, which comprises contacting not less than n molecules of a styrylphenol of the formula ##STR17## wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive, and R 2 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive with a catalytically effective amount of an acid cationic catalyst at a temperature of from -100° to 50° C and thereafter separating the polymer of claim 4 from the catalyst.

Claim 15

The process of claim 12 wherein the catalyst is a BF 3 catalyst.

Claim 16

The process for preparing the polymer of claim 3 which comprises chemically blocking the hydroxyl groups of not less than n molecules of the styrylphenol of the formula ##STR18## ##STR19## wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive and R 2 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons inclusive; polymerizing not less than n molecules of the chemically blocked styrylphenol in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a free radical initiator at a temperature of from 50° to 125° C to yield a polymeric product; unblocking and restoring the hydroxyl groups; and recovering the polymer of claim 4.