Modified disulfide polymer composition and method for making same from mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer and diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide

Claim 1

A liquid polymer composition curable to a solid elastomer having excellent thermal stability, said composition consisting essentially of a polymeric mixture of (a) from 90 mole percent to 25 mole percent of mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) m R'SH and (b) from 10 mole percent to 75 mole percent of diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) n RSH; wherein in the formulae R is --C 2 H 4 --O--CH 2 --O--C 2 H 4 --; R' is a divalent member selected from the group consisting of alkyl of from 2 to 12 carbon atoms; alkyl thioether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and one oxygen atom; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and from 2 to 4 oxygen atoms each of which is separated from the other by at least 2 carbon atoms, alicyclic of from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and aromatic lower alkyl; and the value m and n is such that the diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer and the mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer have an average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,000.

Claim 18

A method for producing a liquid polymer composition curable to a solid elastomer having excellent thermal stability which consists essentially of a polymeric mixture of (a) from 90 mole percent to 25 mole percent of mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) m R'SH and (b) from 10 mole percent to 75 mole percent of diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) n RSH; wherein in the formulae R is --C 2 H 4 --O--CH 2 --O--C 2 H 4 --; R' is a divalent member selected from the group consisting of alkyl of from 2 to 12 carbon atoms; alkyl thioether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and one oxygen atom; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and from 2 to 4 oxygen atoms each of which is separated from the other by at least 2 carbon atoms, alicyclic of from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and aromatic lower alkyl; and the value m and n is such that the diethyl formal mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer and the mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer have an average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,000, which comprises forming a reaction admixture consisting essentially of (1) reactant one having the formula HS(RSS) m RSH wherein R has the same significance as set forth above and the value of m is such that said reactant has a molecular weight of between about 2,000 and about 8,000; (2) a reactant two having the formula R'(SH) 2 wherein R' has the same significance as set forth above, the molar ratio of reactant two to reactant one being 0.3:1 to 7:1, and (3) a catalytic effective amount of an organic amine catalyst having a pKb value of at least about 10; the temperature of said reaction mixture being at least ambient.

Claim 19

A method for producing a liquid polymer composition curable to a solid elastomer having excellent thermal stability which consists essentially of a polymeric mixture of (a) from 90 mole percent to 25 mole percent of mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) m R'SH and (b) from 10 mole percent to 75 mole percent of diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) n RSH; wherein in the formulae R is --C 2 H 4 --O--CH 2 --O--C 2 H 4 --; R' is a divalent member selected from the group consisting of alkyl of from 2 to 12 carbon atoms; alkyl thioether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and one oxygen atom; alkyl ether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and from 2 to 4 oxygen atoms each of which is separated from the other by at least 2 carbon atoms, alicyclic of from 6 to 12 carbon atoms and aromatic lower alkyl; and the value m and n is such that the diethyl formal mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer and the mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer have an average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,000, which comprises forming a reaction admixture consisting essentially of (1) reactant one having the formula HS(RSS) m RSH wherein R has the same significance as set forth above and the value of m is such that said reactant has a molecular weight of between about 2,000 and about 8,000; (2) a reactant two having the formula R'(SH) 2 wherein R' has the same significance as set forth above, the molar ratio of reactant two to reactant one being 0.3:1 to 7:1, and (3) a catalytic effective amount of an organic amine catalyst having a pKb value of at least about 10; the temperature of said reaction mixture being at least ambient.

Claim 21

A method according to claims 14 or 15 wherein the temperature of the reaction admixture is between about 25° C. and 100° C.

Claim 22

A method according to claims 14 or 15 wherein the organic amine catalyst is an organic tertiary amine.

Claim 24

A method for producing a liquid polymer composition curable to a solid elastomer having excellent thermal stability which consists essentially of a polymer mixture of (a) from 90 mole percent to 25 mole percent of mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) m R'SH and (b) from 10 mole percent to 75 mole percent of diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) n RSH; wherein in the formulae R is --C 2 H 4 --O--CH 2 --O--C 2 H 4 --; R' is a divalent alkyl thioether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and the value of m and n is such that the diethyl formal mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer and the mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer have an average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,000, which comprises forming a reaction admixture consisting essentially of (1) reactant one having the formula HS(RSS) m RSH wherein R has the same significance as set forth above and the value of m is such that said reactant has a molecular weight of between about 2,000 and about 8,000; (2) reactant two having the formula R'(SH) 2 wherein R' has the same signficance as set forth above, the molar ratio of reactant two to reactant one being 0.3:1 to 7:1, and (3) a catalytic effective amount of an organic amine catalyst having a pKb value of at least about 10; the temperature of said reaction mixture being at least ambient.

Claim 25

A method for producing a liquid polymer composition curable to a solid elastomer having excellent thermal stability which consists essentially of a polymer mixture of (a) from 90 mole percent to 25 mole percent of mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) m R'SH and (b) from 10 mole percent to 75 mole percent of diethyl formal mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer of the formula HS(RSS) n RSH; wherein in the formulae R is --C 2 H 4 --O--CH 2 --O--C 2 H 4 --; R' is a divalent alkyl thioether of from 4 to 20 carbon atoms and the value of m and n is such that the diethyl formal mercaptan terminated disulfide polymer and the mercaptan terminated polysulfide polymer have an average molecular weight of between about 1,000 and about 4,000, which comprises forming a reaction admixture consisting essentially of (1) reactant one having the formula HS(RSS) m RSH wherein R has the same significance as set forth above and the value of m is such that said reactant has a molecular weight of between about 2,000 and about 8,000; (2) reactant two having the formula R'(SH) 2 wherein R' has the same signficance as set forth above, the molar ratio of reactant two to reactant one being 0.3:1 to 7:1, and (3) a catalytic effective amount of an organic amine catalyst having a pKb value of at least about 10; the temperature of said reaction mixture being at least ambient.

Claim 27

A method according to claims 19 or 20 wherein the temperature of the reaction admixture is between about 25° C. and 100° C.

Claim 28

A method according to claims 19 or 20 wherein the organic amine catalyst is an organic tertiary amine.