GB928314A - Polymerisable compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

A polymerizable composition in the form of a pellet or chip comprises a matrix of a solid, monomeric polyamide-forming lactam incorporating less than 50%, normally less than 10%, of its weight of an initiator for the polymerization of monomeric cyclic lactams having at least six carbon atoms in the ring. In an embodiment of the invention a process for the polymerization of monomeric cyclic lactams having at least six ring carbon atoms comprising adding one or more pellets or chips to the lactam to be polymerized and maintaining the mixture at a temperature above the melting point of the said lactam and in the absence of water and oxygen. Specified initiators are the alkali and alkaline earth metals and hydroxides and alkoxides thereof, lithium alkyls and lithium aluminium compounds, e.g. sodium hydroxide, sodium methoxide, potassium t-butoxide, lithium butyl, lithium aluminium hydride, lithium aluminium tetraethyl, lithium aluminium tetrabutyl, lithium diethoxyaluminohydride and lithium tri(t-butoxy) aluminohydride. The examples describe the preparation of pellets from S -caprolactam and:- (I) lithium aluminium hydride; (II) potassium t-butoxide, and their use in the polymerization of S -caprolactam. Specifications 928,311 and 928,312 are referred to.