Polymeric quaternary ammonium salts containing specific cationic recurring units

Claim 1

A polymeric quaternary ammonium salt which contains recurring units of the formula ##STR96## alone, or in combination with units of the formula ##STR97## wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are identical or different and are alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, cyanoalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, alkylthioalkyl or alkylcarbonylalkyl having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; alkylsulphonylalkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety; alkylcarboxylic acid having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety; carbalkoxyalkyl and di-(carbalkoxy)-alkyl each having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkoxy moiety and in the alkyl moiety; carboxylic acid amide-alkyl which has 1 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety and is unsubstituted or N-substituted by lower alkyl; cycloalkyl or alkenyl having at most 20 carbon atoms; or phenyl or benzyl, which are unsubstituted by hydroxyl, cyano, fluoro, chloro, bromo, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, cyanoalkyl, alkoxy or alkylthio having 1 or 2 carbon atoms; A 1 and A 2 are --C n H 2 .sbsb.n --, in which n is 1 to 12, and the sum of n in A 1 and A 2 is at least 3, and when n is 1 the bond to the bridge member X is not via a nitrogen or oxygen atom; or are phenylene; and A 1 and A 2 are identical or different from one another; A 1 ' is --C i H 2 .sbsb.i -- in which i is 2 to 12; A 3 is --C m H 2 .sbsb.m, --CH 2 O--R 5 OOCH 2 --, --CH 2 (OR 6 ) p OCH 2 --, --CH 2 COCH 2 --, ##STR98## in which R 5 is straight-chain or branched alkylene having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, R 6 is --CH 2 CH 2 --, --CH 2 CH(CH 3 )--, or --(CH 2 ) 4 --, m is 2 to 12 and p is 2 to 15; X is a divalent bridge member of the formula --NHCONH--; --NHCOX 1 CONH--; --CONH--; --OCONH--; --COO--; --COX 2 CO--; ##STR99## in which X 1 is a direct bond, alkylene, alkylene, arylene, diaminoalkylene, diaminoarylene, dioxyalkylene, polyoxyalkylene, or dioxyarylene, X 2 is a direct bond, diaminoalkylene, dioxyalkylene, polyoxyalkylene or dithioalkylene, X 3 is arylene and X 4 is alkylene or arylene, and Q is halo, sulphate, methyl sulphate, ethyl sulphate, toluene sulphonate or nitrate.