GB1113790A - Production of amide or ester interpolymers - Google Patents

Abstract

Amide or ester interpolymers are prepared by interpolymerizing a mixture of monomers comprising an amide or hydroxyalkyl ester or polyalkylene glycol monoester of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and at least one copolymerizable compound in solution in an organic solvent and in the presence of at least 0.02% by weight of the monomers of hydrogen peroxide as catalyst. The catalyst is generally employed in the form of an aqueous solution, e.g. of 20-90% by weight concentration. Suitable amides are those of acrylic, methacrylic, itaconic, crotonic and maleic acids and N-substituted derivatives thereof. The amide groups can be reacted with aldehydes, e.g. formaldehyde or a homologue thereof, before or after polymerization to form N-alkylol amide groups, which may be etherified with an alcohol. Suitable hydroxy-ester monomers are hydroxyalkyl esters and polyalkylene glycol monoesters of acrylic, methacrylic, ethacrylic, crotonic, maleic, fumaric and itaconic acids and of acidic esters of such dicarboxylic acids. The amides and hydroxy-esters can be interpolymerized with each other and with other monomers such as alkyl acrylates and methacrylates, styrene and halo- or alkyl-styrenes, acrylonitrile, methacrylic acid, butadiene, 2-chloro-butene-1, 1,1-dichloroethylene, vinyl acetate or butyrate, allyl chloride, dimethyl maleate, divinyl benzene, diallyl itaconate and triallyl cyanurate. Solvents for the polymerization include alcohols, glycol or polyglycol monoethers, esters, ketones, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof. A chain-modifying agent, e.g. t-dodecyl mercaptan, may be used in the polymerization. The interpolymers are useful in coating applications, for which purpose they are compounded with conventional additives and baked at temperatures of 150-350 DEG F.