Polyalkoxy monovinylaromatic compound in copolymerization of a conjugated diene with a monovinyl-substituted aromatic compound

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to my invention, a polyalkoxy monovinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon is employed as both comonomer and randomizer in the copolymerization of a polymerizable conjugated diene monomer with a copolymerizable monovinyl-substituted aromatic compound monomer, with the polymerization conducted under polymerization conditions and employing an organolithium initiator.
POLYALKOXY MONOVINYL-SUBSTITUTED AROMATIC RANDOMIZER-MONOMER The combination randomizer-comonomer polyalkoxy monovinyl-substituted aromatic compounds employed in the process of this invention contain at least two alkoxy groups and one vinyl group on a benzene ring nucleus, with at least two alkoxy groups adjacent or ortho to each other.
Further alkoxy or other substituents can be present on the ring.
These reagents also can be described by the formula: ##SPC1## wherein each R can be hydrogen, alkoxyl --OR', hydrocarbyl, or halogen, with the proviso that at least two of the R groups are --OR' and are located on adjacent ring positions, more preferably at ring positions 3 and 4.
The halogen can be fluorine or chlorine.
Each R group, where hydrocarbyl, can be linear or branched alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or aralkyl, of up to 7 carbon atoms, preferably of up to 6 carbon atoms per R group, and wherein two adjacent R groups including the carbon atoms of the aromatic nucleus can form a 5 to 10 membered ring system.
R' can be linear or branched alkyl, and while not limited specifically in size as to operability, presently preferably contains up to 6 carbon atoms per R' group.
The total number of carbon atoms in my polyalkoxy monovinyl aromatic compound is not limited in carbon number by operability, but merely as a matter of convenience and solubility in the reaction environment.
Presently, I prefer the total number of carbon atoms in the molecule not to exceed 20.
Exemplary of my combination randomizer-monomer compounds, my polyalkoxy monovinyl-substituted aromatic comonomers, are 3,4-dimethoxystyrene which is presently preferred, as well as 3,4-diethoxy-5-methylstyrene, 3,4-dimethoxy-5-cyclohexylstyrene, 3,4-dimethoxy-5-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)styrene, 3,4-di-(n-propoxy)-5-fluorostyrene, 3-vinyl-5,6-dimethoxybiphenyl, 1-vinyl-3,4-dimethoxy-5-ethyl-6-chloro-7-fluoronaphthalene, 3,4,5-triethoxystyrene, pentamethoxystyrene, 3,4-dimethoxy-5-(p-tolyl)styrene, and the like, alone or in admixture