Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Harry W Barnum

Alexis A Oswald

Gary L Harting

Derek J Angier

Novel higher dialkyl dimethyl ammonium clays, of superior gellant effectiveness in oxygenated organic liquids, can be produced by the overtreatment of layer and chain type mineral clays via ion exchange reactions. For example, a layered dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium montmorillonite, a superior gellant for alkyd resin based coatings, is prepared by the reaction of sodium montmorillonite with a 12 to 25% excess of the corresponding quaternary chloride beyond the known ion exchange capacity of the clay. The overtreatment is preferably carried out in a mixture of water and organic solvent which disperses the clay and dissolves the quaternary ammonium salt.

Overtreated higher dialkyl dimethyl ammonium clay gellants

Polyolefin lubricant base oils can be surprisingly gelled by layer and chain type overtreated higher dialkyl dimethyl ammonium clays preferably containing a minimum of 12% excess of the quaternary ion moiety over their ion exchange capacity. For example, an overtreated dihydrogenated ditallow ammonium montmorillonite containing a 22% excess of the quaternary ion can be used to prepare a polydecene based grease although it does not gel mineral oil lubricants. In contrast, the known clay analog of equivalent treatment gels the mineral oil but not the synthetic polyolefin lubricant under comparable conditions.

Polyolefin based greases gelled by clays overtreated by higher dialkyl

A process for increasing that fraction of an isotropic carbonaceous pitch which is capable of being thermally converted to an optically anisotropic carbonaceous pitch having less than 25 wt. % quinoline insolubles is described. Basically, the pitch is heated at elevated temperatures until spherules visible under polarized light begin to appear. Then heating is terminated and the pitch solvent extracted to provide a solvent insoluble fraction which is capable of being thermally converted to the optically anisotropic pitch.

Neomesophase formation

Known higher dialkyl dimethyl ammonium clays can be surprisingly used as thixotropic agents in reinforced thermoset resins containing a major proportion of an unsaturated polyester and a minor proportion of styrene type monomer by employing a novel pregel process. In this process, the quaternary ammonium clay is pregelled in the styrene and the resulting pregel is then mixed with the unsaturated polyester to produce the final gel which is usually combined with glass fiber as a reinforcing agent for the production of thermoplastics. The novel clay gel compositions of the present invention have surprisingly advantageous properties, compared to the presently used fumed silica gel compositions.

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Edison, NJ, United States of America

Harry W Barnum