Process for producing hydroxytelechelic oligomers and polymers by photolysis

Claim 2

A polymerization process in which an ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a lower alkyl acrylate, a lower alkyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers having a multi-modal distribution of molecular weights and including polymers having a number average molecular weight between about 100 and 1 million, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation having a wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl radicals of at least one of said monomers in a reaction mixture including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer and about 1 to about 20% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of an alcohol, wherein said alcohol is a good solvent for said hydrogen peroxide and said monomer and a bad solvent for said polymer.

Claim 3

A process according to claim 1 wherein said reaction mixture includes about 5 to about 15% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 4

A process according to claim 2 wherein said wave length is 2537 A.

Claim 5

A polymerization process in which methyl methacrylate is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic poly(methyl methacrylate) polymers having a multi-modal distribution of molecular weights (number average) including a fraction between about 500 and about 2000, a fraction between about 1000 and 50,000, and a fraction in excess of 50,000, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation having a wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl radicals of said monomer in a reaction mixture including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer and about 1 to about 20% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of an alcohol, wherein said alcohol is a good solvent for said hydrogen peroxide and said monomer and a bad solvent for said polymer.

Claim 6

A polymerization process in which methyl methacrylate is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic poly(methyl methacrylate) polymers having a multi-modal distribution of molecular weights (number average) including a fraction between about 500 and about 2000, a fraction between about 1000 and 50,000, and a fraction in excess of 50,000, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation having a wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl radicals of said monomer in a reaction mixture including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer and about 1 to about 20% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of an alcohol, wherein said alcohol is a good solvent for said hydrogen peroxide and said monomer and a bad solvent for said polymer.

Claim 7

A process according to claim 4 wherein said reaction mixture includes about 5 to about 15% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 8

A process according to claim 5 wherein said wave length is 2537 A.

Claim 9

A process according to claim 2 wherein said distribution includes a fraction below about 500.

Claim 10

A polymerization process in which an ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a lower alkyl acrylate, a lower alkyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers having a unimodal or bi-modal distribution of molecular weights including polymers having a number average molecular weight between about 100 and 1 million, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation having a wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl groups of at least one of said monomers in a reaction mixture including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer and about 1 to about 20% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of an alcohol, wherein said alcohol is a good solvent for said monomer and said polymer and a bad solvent for said hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 11

A polymerization process in which an ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a lower alkyl acrylate, a lower alkyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers having a unimodal or bi-modal distribution of molecular weights including polymers having a number average molecular weight between about 100 and 1 million, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation having a wave length capable of causing the homolytic splitting of perhydrol into hydroxyl groups of at least one of said monomers in a reaction mixture including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer and about 1 to about 20% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of an alcohol, wherein said alcohol is a good solvent for said monomer and said polymer and a bad solvent for said hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 12

A process according to claim 8 wherein said monomer is methyl methacrylate.

Claim 13

A process according to claim 8 wherein said reaction mixture includes about 5 to about 15% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 14

A process according to claim 10 wherein said wave length is 2537 A.

Claim 15

A polymerization process in which an ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a lower alkyl acrylate, a lower alkyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic homopolymers having a number average molecular weight in excess of 20,000, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation of said monomer in a reaction mixture including said monomer, at least about 1% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and a diluent consisting essentially of an alcohol.

Claim 16

A polymerization process in which an ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, a lower alkyl acrylate, a lower alkyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic homopolymers having a number average molecular weight in excess of 20,000, said polymerization process comprising effecting the polymerization at room temperature in the presence of oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation of said monomer in a reaction mixture including said monomer, at least about 1% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, and a diluent consisting essentially of an alcohol.

Claim 17

A polymerization process in which a polymerizable monomer is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers having a number average molecular weight between about 20,000 and 100,000 comprising polymerizing at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer of the group consisting of lower alkyl acrylates and methacrylates, acrylic and methacrylic acids, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation, said polymerization being carried out in a diluent comprising essentially an alcohol.

Claim 18

A polymerization process in which a polymerizable monomer is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers having a number average molecular weight between about 20,000 and 100,000 comprising polymerizing at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer of the group consisting of lower alkyl acrylates and methacrylates, acrylic and methacrylic acids, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen under the effect of ultra-violet radiation, said polymerization being carried out in a diluent comprising essentially an alcohol.

Claim 19

A process according to claim 13 wherein the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is at least equal to about 1% by weight of the reaction mixture.

Claim 20

A process according to claim 13, wherein the diluent is an alcohol.

Claim 21

A process according to claim 15 wherein the alcohol is methanol, ethanol, isopropanol or tertiary-amyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, cyclohexanol, n-butanol or hexanol.

Claim 22

A process according to claim 15 wherein the diluent is a good solvent for said hydrogen peroxide and said monomer, but a bad solvent for said polymer.

Claim 23

A process according to claim 15 wherein the diluent is a bad solvent for said hydrogen peroxide, but a good solvent for said monomer and said polymer.

Claim 24

A process according to claim 7 wherein said diluent is methanol.

Claim 25

A process according to claim 18 wherein said diluent is cyclohexanol or tertiary-amyl alcohol.

Claim 26

A process according to claim 13 wherein the wavelength of ultra-violet radiation is 2537 A.

Claim 27

Polymers prepared according to the process of claim 18 characterized in that the monomer is methyl methacrylate and the repartition of the polymer is essentially unimodal.

Claim 28

A process according to claim 1, 8, 12 or 13 in which a mixture of two or more of said monomers is polymerized.

Claim 29

A process according to claim 1, 8, 12 or 13 wherein one of said monomers is polymerized to form a homopolymer.

Claim 30

A polymerization process in which a polymerizable monomer is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers, said polymerizable monomer being selected from the group consisting of vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate and an aliphatic compound having no more than one ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable group of the formula ##STR1## wherein one of the free bonds of the carbon atom in said formula is attached to a carbon atom and the other of the free bonds of said carbon atom is attached to a carbon atom or a hydrogen atom, said polymerization process comprising polymerizing in the presence of oxygen one or more of said polymerizable monomers at room temperature under the effect of ultra-violet radiation in a reaction mixture including also an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide and a diluent consisting essentially of an alcohol.

Claim 31

A polymerization process in which a polymerizable monomer is polymerized by the radical route to form hydroxytelechelic polymers, said polymerizable monomer being selected from the group consisting of vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate and an aliphatic compound having no more than one ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable group of the formula ##STR1## wherein one of the free bonds of the carbon atom in said formula is attached to a carbon atom and the other of the free bonds of said carbon atom is attached to a carbon atom or a hydrogen atom, said polymerization process comprising polymerizing in the presence of oxygen one or more of said polymerizable monomers at room temperature under the effect of ultra-violet radiation in a reaction mixture including also an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide and a diluent consisting essentially of an alcohol.

Claim 32

A process according to claim 25 in which the molecular weight distribution of the polymer formed is unimodal and in which the polymer is soluble in said monomer and said alcohol.

Claim 33

A process according to claim 25 in which the molecular weight distribution of the polymer formed is multimodal and in which the polymer is insoluble in said alcohol.

Claim 34

A process according to claim 25, 26, or 27 including at least about 10% by weight of said monomer, hydrogen peroxide in an amount equivalent to about 1 to about 20% by weight of an aqueous solution of 110 volume hydrogen peroxide, and the remainder of the reaction mixture consisting essentially of said alcohol.

Claim 35

A process according to claim 25 in which a mixture of two or more of said monomers is polymerized.

Claim 36

A process according to claim 25 wherein one of said monomers is polymerized to form a homopolymer.

Claim 37

A process according to claim 25, 26 or 27 wherein said monomers are selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, lower alkyl acrylates and methacrylates, acrylonitrile, and methacrylonitrile.