The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

James Heber Cline

Tang Hong Wong

Syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is a thermoplastic resin which has double bonds attached in an alternating fashion to its polymeric backbone. Films, fibers and molded articles can be made utilizing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene. It can also be blended into rubbers and cocured therewith. In such applications, sometimes it is beneficial for the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene to have more than one melting point. This invention discloses a process for preparing syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene having at least two different melting points which comprises: polymerizing 1,3-butadiene monomer in an aqueous medium in the presence of (1) a catalyst composition which is made by reacting (a) at least one cobalt compound selected from the group consisting of (i) .beta.-diketone complexes of cobalt, (ii) .beta.-keto acid ester complexes of cobalt, (iii) cobalt salts of organic carboxylic acids having 6 to 15 carbon atoms and (iv) complexes of halogenated cobalt compounds of the formula CoX.sub.n, wherein X represents a halogen atom and n represents 2 or 3, with an organic compound selected from the group consisting of tertiary amine alcohols, tertiary phosphines, ketones and N,N-dialkylamides, (b) at least one organoaluminum compound of the formula AlR.sub.3, wherein R represents a hydrocarbon radical of 1 to 6 carbon atoms and (c) at least one conjugated diene; (2) at least one member selected from the group consisting of carbon disulfide, phenyl isothiocyanate and xanthic acid; and (3) at least one melting-point regulator and (4) a sodium halide salt or a potassium halide salt.

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Wooster, OH, United States of America

James Heber Cline