Thermally-staged polymer process

A process for the preporation of interpolymers from monomers comprising one or more polar monomers;

• one or more monoolefins having the general formula ##EQU3## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen;
• hydrogen;
• straight and branched chain alkyl radicals;
• aryl;
• alkylaryl;
• aralkyl and cycloalkyl radicals having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms and halo substituted derivatives thereof;
• and optionally one or more acyclic or alicyclic conjugated or nonconjugated diolefins which comprises:
• a. mixing a Lewis Acid and said polar monomer at a temperature in the range of -100.degree.C to 0.degree.C to form a Lewis Acid polar monomer complex;
• b. mixing said complex with said olefin monomer and an active oxygen compound at said temperature to form a reaction mixture;
• c. maintaining said reaction mixture at said temperature in a first stage for a time sufficient to convert at least 10 percent but not more than 50 percent of said polar monomer in said reaction mixture to said interpolymer;
• d. thereafter raising the temperature of said reaction mixture to a higher temperature in the range of 0.degree. to 100.degree.C;
• e. maintaining said reaction mixture at said higher temperature in a second stage for a time period of about 0.2 to 60 hours;
• and
• f. recovering said interpolymer from said reaction mixture.