Oxidation of polyarylene sulfides

Abstract

A process for the preparation of polyarylene sulfoxides, in which polyarylene sulfide, suspends in a concentrated acid of formula R--SO.sub.3 H, in which R is a halogen atom Ian OH group, an aliphatic radical having 1 to 6 C atoms or an aromatic radcal having 6 to 18 C atoms, or of the formula R.sup.1 --CR.sup.2 R.sup.3 --COOH, in which R.sup.1 is a halogen atom and R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, independently of one another are each a halogen atom, an aliphatic radical having 1 to 50 atoms or a halogenated aliphatic radical having 1 to 5 C atoms, is oxidized by metering in a 30 to 85% strength hydrogen peroxide solution with thorough mixing and at a temperature of from -20 to +45.degree. C. According to this process, the sulfide units of the polyarylene sulfide are converted virtually selectively and completely into sulfoxide units.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.