Novel nitrogen-containing aromatic polymers and process for their preparation

Claim 1

A substantially linear nitrogen-containing aromatic polymer comprising (1) 40 to 100 mol%, based on its entire recurring units, of at least one recurring unit of the formula (I) ##STR220## wherein Ar is an aromatic group of 6 to 50 carbon atoms having a valence of (2 + q) with the two ##STR221## groups being bonded respectively to the nuclear carbon atoms of the aromatic ring Ar and represented by the formula (II) ##STR222## wherein Ar 1 is an aromatic ring group containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms and having a valence of (q 1 + 2) or (q 1 + 3); Ar 2 is an aromatic ring group containing 6 to 20 carbon atoms and having a valence of (q 2 + 2) or (q 2 + 3); W 3 and W 4 are identical or different and have the same definition as W 1 given below; q 1 is an integer of 0 to 4; q 2 is an integer of 0 to 4; with the proviso that an average of (q 1 + q 2 + r) is at least 0.2; m and n are 0 or 1, and when m is 0, n is also 0; the symbol . . . represents the presence or absence of a bond; E and E' are identical or different and each represent at least one non-aromatic bridging group selected from the group consisting of ##STR223## and alkylene groups containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, R 12 and R 13 being identical or different and each representing a hydrogen atoms or an organic group containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms; and R" represents alkylene of 2 to 15 carbon atoms or a member selected from the group consisting of ##STR224## wherein E" is a non-aromatic bridging group having the same definition as E above; W 1 and W 2 are identical or different and represent at least one group selected from the group consisting of ##STR225## wherein R 1 , R 3 , R 6 and R 7 are identical or different and represent a hydrogen atom or an organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms which in principle has a valence of 1; R 2 and R 5 represent an organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms which in principle has a valence of 1; R 4 represents a hydroxyl group or an organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms which in principle has a valence of 1; R 8 is a divalent organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms; and R 1 and R 2 , R 1 and R 3 , R 1 and R 4 , R 1 and R 5 , R 1 and R 6 , R 6 and R 7 , respectively, can be bonded to each other directly or through a hetero atom; q is an integer of 0 to 4; r is an integer of 0 to 4, with the proviso that an average of (q + r) is at least 0.2; R' is a hydrogen atom or monovalent or divalent hydrocarbon residue of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and when R' is divalent, it is optionally bonded to R, or R' of one of the ##STR226## linked to R' of the other ##STR227## and R is an organic group of 2 to 50 carbon atoms having a valence of (2 + r), (3 + r) or (4 + r) according to the definition of R'; and (2) 0 to 60 mol% of the remaining recurring units being a recurring unit of the formula (III) --R'"--Q.sub.1 --B--Q.sub.2 -- (III) wherein B and R'" are identical or different and each represents the group (R) which is an organic group of 2 to 50 carbon atoms having a valence of (2 + r'), (3 + r') or (4 + r'), wherein r' is an integer of 0 to 4, according to the definition of R', the group (R) being identical or different from R; and Q 1 and Q 2 are identical or different and are each selected from the group consisting of ##STR228## in which R 9 , R 10 and R 11 are identical or different, and each represents a hydrogen atom, a monovalent or divalent hydrocarbon residue or a mere bond, and when these groups represent a divalent hydrocarbon residue or a bond, they can be bonded to R'" or B, or can be directly bonded to each other, and any of the above members may include an inert substituent.