Addition of monomer in production of liquid polymers

Abstract

Incremental addition of a monomer to be polymerized or copolymerized in a reaction medium comprising an alkyl aromatic, an organic lithium compound, and a transmetallation compound is effected to obtain liquid polymers and/or copolymers of narrow molecular weight range distribution suitable for conversion to lubricating oil as by hydrogenation. A conjugated diene, e.g., butadiene, alone, or together with a vinyl aromatic, e.g., styrene, is added incrementally to permit substantially complete reaction of at least the incrementally added monomer(s) and transmetallation to occur from living polymer to the alkyl aromatic in the reaction mass before addition of a succeeding increment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.