Claims
- 1. A process for the production of aromatic sulfide/sulfone polymer which comprises the steps:
- I. contacting
- (a) at least one lactam,
- (b) at least one alkali metal hydrosulfide,
- (c) water, and
- (d) at least one base selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides and mixtures of alkali metal hydroxides with alkali metal carbonates under reaction conditions of time and temperature sufficient to produce a mixture containing a complex which comprises said at least one alkali metal hydrosulfide and
- II. contacting said mixture produced in step I with
- (e) at least one dihaloaromatic sulfone under polymerization conditions for a period of time sufficient to form an aromatic sulfide/sulfone polymer.
- 2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the molar ratio of said lactam to said base is about 1:1 to about 15:1, the molar ratio of said base to said alkali metal hydrosulfide is about 0.9:1 to about 1.2:1, the molar ratio of said water to said lactam is about 0.5:1 to about 1.5:1, and the molar ratio of dihaloaromatic sulfone to alkali metal hydrosulfide is about 0.9:1 to about 1.2:1.
- 3. A process according to claim 2 wherein said reaction conditions of step I employ a temperature of about 105.degree. C. to about 205.degree. C. and a time of about 5 minutes to about 5 hours.
- 4. A process according to claim 3 wherein (a) is a lactam having 3 to about 24 carbon atoms per molecule, (b) is selected from the group consisting of lithium hydrosulfide, sodium hydrosulfide, potassium hydrosulfide, rubidium hydrosulfide, and cesium hydrosulfide, and (e) is represented by the formula ##STR5## where each X is selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine; Z is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of ##STR6## m is 0 or 1, n is 0 or 1; A is selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, sulfonyl, and CR.sub.2 ; and each R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals having 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon atoms in all of the R groups in the molecule being 0 to about 12.
- 5. A process according to claim 4 wherein said polymerization conditions of step II employ a temperature of about 170.degree. to about 240.degree. C., a time of about 10 minutes to about 72 hours, and pressure sufficient to maintain liquid phase conditions.
- 6. A process according to claim 5 where m is 0 and (e) is represented by the formula ##STR7## where each X is selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, and each R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl radicals having 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, the total number of carbon atoms in all of the R groups being within the range of 0 to about 12.
- 7. A process according to claim 6 wherein (a) is selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, and N-methyl-.epsilon.-caprolactam, (b) is sodium hydrosulfide, and (d) is a mixture of alkali metal hydroxide with alkali metal carbonate containing at least 50 mole percent alkali metal hydroxide.
- 8. A process according to claim 6 wherein (a) is selected from the group consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-methyl-.epsilon.-caprolactam, (b) is sodium hydrosulfide, and (d) is alkali metal hydroxide.
- 9. A process according to claim 7 wherein (a) is N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, (d) is a mixture of sodium hydroxide with sodium carbonate containing about 70 to about 90 mole percent sodium hydroxide, and (e) is bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone.
- 10. A process according to claim 8 wherein (a) is N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, (d) is sodium hydroxide and (e) is bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 102,462 filed Sept. 29, 1987, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
102462 |
Sep 1987 |
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