Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A process for preparing a thermoplastic graft polymer having an ethylene polymer backbone and a plurality of side chains which comprises: (a) providing a metallated ethylene polymer; (b) contacting the metallated ethylene polymer with a modifying compound selected from the group consisting of alpha-methylstyrene, alpha-ethylstyrene, alpha-propylstyrene and alpha-isopropylstyrene under conditions sufficient to form a modified polymer wherein at least one moiety of the modifying compound is attached to the ethylene polymer backbone; and (c) contacting the modified polymer with at least one anionically polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyl aromatic compounds, vinyl unsaturated amides, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, organic isocyanates, organic diisocyanates, lower alkyl acrylates, lower alkyl methacrylate, lower olefins, vinyl esters of carboxylic acids, vinyl lower alkyl ethers, vinyl pyridines and vinyl pyrolidones under reactive conditions sufficient to form the graft polymer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
A process for preparing a thermoplastic graft polymer having an ethylene polymer backbone and a plurality of side chains which comprises: (a) providing a metallated ethylene polymer; (b) contacting the metallated ethylene polymer with a modifying compound selected from the group consisting of alpha-methylstyrene, alpha-ethylstyrene, alpha-propylstyrene and alpha-isopropylstyrene under conditions sufficient to form a modified polymer wherein at least one moiety of the modifying compound is attached to the ethylene polymer backbone; and (c) contacting the modified polymer with at least one anionically polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyl aromatic compounds, vinyl unsaturated amides, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, organic isocyanates, organic diisocyanates, lower alkyl acrylates, lower alkyl methacrylate, lower olefins, vinyl esters of carboxylic acids, vinyl lower alkyl ethers, vinyl pyridines and vinyl pyrolidones under reactive conditions sufficient to form the graft polymer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the modifying compound is alpha-methylstyrene.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 1 further comprising diluting the metallated ethylene polymer with a viscosity-reducing amount of a polar solvent prior to contacting the metallated polymer with the modifying compound.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the polar solvent is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl ether, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 2,5-dimethyl tetrahydrofuran, ethyl methyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether and diethylene glycol dimethyl ether.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 further comprising diluting the modified polymer with a viscosity-reducing amount of a polar solvent prior to step (c).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the polar solvent is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl ether, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 2,5-dimethyl tetrahydrofuran, ethyl methyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether and diethylene glycol dimethyl ether.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the anionically polymerizable monomer is selected from the group consisting of vinyl aromatic compounds and alkyl esters of alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the anionically polymerizable monomer is selected from the group consisting of alkyl esters of acrylic acid and alkyl esters of methacrylic acid.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the anionically polymerizable monomer is methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate or tert-butyl methacrylate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1 wherein step (c) is conducted at a temperature of greater than about -10° Centigrade.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 1 wherein step (c) is conducted at a temperature of from about 30° to about 50° Centigrade.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
45 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ethylene polymer is an interpolymer having polymerized therein, based upon interpolymer weight, from about 15 to about 99.5 percent ethylene, from about 0 to about 85 percent 1-olefin and from about 0.5 to about 10 percent nonconjugated diene.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 8 wherein the 1-olefin has from about three to about twenty carbon atoms.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
52 words
The process of claim 8 wherein the nonconjugated diene is selected from the group consisting of open chain, separated, nonconjugated dienes having from five to about twenty carbon atoms, cyclic nonconjugated dienes having from five to about twenty carbon atoms, and bicyclic nonconjugated dienes having from ten to about thirty carbon atoms.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
131 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the metallated ethylene polymer is prepared by a process comprising: (a) providing an admixture of an ethylene interpolymer, said interpolymer having polymerized therein ethylene, a nonconjugated diene and at least one 1-olefin having three or more carbon atoms, and a saturated nonpolar hydrocarbon solvent; (b) forming an intermixture of the admixture of activating amounts of a tertiary diamine and a potassium alkoxide; and (c) contacting the intermixture with an amount of at least one lithium alkyl compound under conditions sufficient to provide a degree of metallation greater than the degree of metallation attained with (1) the potassium alkoxide and the lithium alkyl compound, or (2) the tertiary amine and the lithium alkyl compound, or by adding the degrees of metallation attained with (1) and (2).