An oxygen scavenger composition comprising a condensation polymer and an oxygen-scavenging catalytic amount of a transition metal salt, compound or complex, wherein said polymer comprises mer units derived from
- (A) at least one or a mixture of substituted alicyclic compounds having non-aromatic, ethylenic functionality according to the following representation:
- wherein
- A, B, C1, C2, C3, C4 each independently represents hydrogen or a CqH2q+1 hydrocarbyl group with q being an integer of from 0 to 20, provided that either A or B and at least one of C1, C2, C3, C4 are hydrogen atoms and each carbon atom of the alicyclic ring is fully substituted by hydrogen, hydrocarbyl, X and/or Y group(s) or mixtures thereof to fill its valence state;
- X and Y each independently represents —(CH2)n—C═O)-D with n being an integer in the range from 0 to 20 and D being selected from a halide atom or an OR group wherein R is hydrogen atom or a C1-C12 alkyl group, or X and Y together represent —(CH2)n—C═O)x-D with x being 2, n being an integer in the range from 0 to 20 and D is oxygen atom;
- and
- Z representing a —(CtH2t-2)—hydrocarbylene group with t being an integer in the range from 1-4;
- (B) at least one or a mixture of difunctional hydrocarbon compounds according to the following representation:
- G-R′-G
- wherein
- R′ represents a C5 or greater hydrocarbon group selected from alkylene, cycloalkylene or arylene group, and
- each G represents a hydroxyl or an amino group;
- (C) from 300 to 15,000 parts per million based on the total of (A), (B), (C) and (D) of at least one or a mixture of polyfunctional hydrocarbon compounds according to the following representation:
- J-R″(-J)z
- wherein
- R″ represents a C2-C20 hydrocarbon group selected from alkylene, cycloalkylene, arylene, alkarylene or aralkylene groups or mixtures thereof;
- J represents a functional group selected from —OH, —NH2, —N═C═O and —(CH2)n—C═O)-D with n being an integer in the range from 0 to 20 and D being selected from a halide atom or an OR′″ group, wherein R′″ is an —H, or C1-C12 alkyl group, or two J groups together represents —(CH2)n—C═O)x-D with n being an integer of from 0 to 20, D being an oxygen atom and x being 2;
- z is an integer of from 2 to 5;
- and
- (D) from 1 to 25 mole percent of the total of (A), (B), (C) and (D) of at least one or a mixture of monomer compounds selected from isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, tetrahydroisophthalic acid, tetrahydroterephthalic acid, hydrogenated isophthalic acid, hydrogenated terephthalic acid, C1-C12 alkyl esters thereof, anhydride derivatives thereof, and hydrocarbyl derivatives thereof and lower C1-C5 glycol ester derivatives thereof;
- said X and Y of (A), G of (B), J of (C) and functional groups of (D) are in amounts that provide a molar ratio of carboxylic acid, acid ester, acid halide and isocyano groups to hydroxyl and amino groups of from 0.9:1 to 1.1:1.