Process for the increase is defined in the molecular weight of unsaturated hydrocarbon polymers.

摘要

The molecular weight of finished unsaturated polymerized hydrocarbons is increased by treating an unsaturated anhydrous polymerized hydrocarbon of molecular weight 1000 to 1,000,000 in solution with the catalyst system:- (a) a compound of formula RnMeXy-n where Me is boron, aluminium, gallium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, silicon, tin arsenic, antimony, titanium, zirconium, phosphorus, molybdenum, tungsten, bismuth, iron, mercury, cadmium, vanadium, uranium or vanadyl, X is fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine, R is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkoxy or sulphoxy or a carboxylate anion, y is the valency of Me and n is from 0 to the valency of Me, and (b) a compound of formula RX in which R is halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, acyl, thionyl, sulphuryl, chromyl, vanadinyl, phosphoroxy, thiophosphoric, sulphonic acid, sulphuric acid, arsenoxy, anti-monoxy, titanyl or imide radical or phosphorus, arsenic, sulphur, selenium, vanadium, titanium tin or silicon and X is halogen, the compound (a) and (b) being different and the catalyst component (a) being added in concentrations of 0.01 to 10% with reference to the polymer used, (b) being added in amounts of 0.002 to 2 moles per mole of the catalyst component (a). The polymerized hydrocarbon may be polybutadiene, polyisoprene, copolymers of butadiene or isoprene with mono-olefines, e.g. styrene, butyl rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymers and ethylene-propylene-dicyclopentadiene terpolymers.