Process for curing liquid chloroprene polymer containing xanthate active terminal groups using polyfunctional amines

A process for preparing an elastomer which comprises

• a. preparing a liquid polymer having xanthate active terminal groups by polymerizing chloroprene alone or in combination with one or more monomers copolymerizable with chloroprene in the presence of a xanthogen disulfide compound represented by the formula:
• ##STR8## wherein R can contain 1 to 12 carbon atoms and is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group or a cycloaliphatic group, in an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of (1) a solvent selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydrocarbon, an aliphatic halogenated hydrocarbon and a cyclic ether having a boiling point of about 160.degree. C or less at atmospheric pressure, and (2) carbon disulfide, said organic solvent being present in an amount of about 20 to 200 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of total monomer, and said xanthogen disulfide compound being present in an amount substantially equal to a ratio of about 2.5 to 20 parts by weight of diethyl xanthogen disulfide to 100 parts by weight of total monomer,
• b. purifying said liquid polymer by extracting and removing any unreacted xanthogen disulfide with an alcohol having the formula R.sub.1 OH, wherein R.sub.1 is alkyl group containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms to remove any unreacted xanthogen disulfide compound, and
• c. curing the purified liquid polymer with a polyfunctional amine.