Rubber compositions with alkoxyalkanoic acid having improved processability vulcanisate properties

Abstract

Alkyloxyalkanoic acids, salts or esters having the formula R.sup.1 --O--(CR.sup.3 R.sup.4).sub.x CO.sub.2 R.sup.2 where R.sup.1 represents an alkyl or alkenyl group, or a hydroxy- or alkoxy- substituted alkyl or alkenyl group, said group containing (apart from the alkoxy carbon atoms in an alkoxy-substituted alkyl or alkenyl group) from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 represents hydrogen, a metallic or other cationic group, each of R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 represents independently hydrogen or an alkyl group, and x has a value of from 1 to 10, act as agents useful for modifying rubber properties. Compared with conventional processing aids, they improve the processing characteristics of unvulcanised rubber compositions and can have beneficial effect on the physical properties of vulcanisates obtained by the vulcanisation of such compositions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.