Polyketones and methods therefor

A melt-processable polymer of formula ##SPC12##

• having elongation of at least about 50%, n being such as to provide mean inherent viscosity within the range from about 0.8 to about 1.65 R' being independently selected from the group of aromatic capping agents whose rate of acetylation relative to benzene is greater than about 150.

A melt processable polymer of formula ##SPC13##

• having elongation of at least about 50%, n being such as to provide mean inherent viscosity within the range from about 0.8 to about 1.65, R and R' being independently selected from the group of aromatic capping agents whose rate of acetylation relative to benzene is greater than about 150.

In the process of producing a polymer comprised of the repeating units ##SPC14##

• which comprises polymerizing monomers reactive under Friedel-Crafts acylating conditions in an environment essentially uncontaminated by transition metals to yield polymer containing said repeating units, the improvement whereby melt processable polymer of elongation of at least about 50% is obtained which comprises polymerizing said monomers in the presence of an aromatic capping agent whose rate of acetylation relative to benzene is greater than about 150 in an amount sufficient to yield polymer of mean inherent viscosity within the range from about 0.8 to about 1.65.

A method which comprises polymerizing p-phenoxybenzoyl fluoride in an environment essentially uncontaminated by transition metals and in the presence of an effective catalytic amount of boron trifluoride and a non-aliphatic aromatic capping agent in an amount sufficient to yield polymer of at least about 50% elongation and having mean inherent viscosity within the range from about 0.8 to about 1.65.

A crystalline melt-processable copolymer having as its major repeating unit the formula ##SPC15##

• and said copolymer having a mean inherent viscosity within the range from about 0.8 to about 1.65 and elongation of at least about 50%.