Abstract: A conjugated diene/monovinyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbon copolymer is stabilized by the addition of a complex acrylate, in combination with at least one of an alkyl thiopropionate, an organic phosphite and a non-acrylate substituted hindered phenolic compound.

Abstract: Sequential charging of initiator and monomers in a multistage solution polymerization process involving conjugated diene and monovinylaromatic monomers wherein the final charge is a mixture of these monomers results in the production of resinous polymodal linear block copolymers each with a terminal tapered block. A typical 5-stage charge sequence is as follows: Stage 1: (S.sub.i); Stage 2: (S.sub.i); Stage 3: (B); Stage 4: (S.sub.i); Stage 5: (S+B) wherein (S.sub.i) is monovinylaromatic monomer and initiator; (B) is conjugated diene monomer and (S+B) is monovinylaromatic monomer and conjugated diene monomer. At each stage, polymerization is allowed to continue until no free monomer is present.The trimodal block copolymer products comprise high, medium and low molecular weight species designated, respectively, as S.sub.1 -S.sub.2 -B.sub.1 -S.sub.3 -B.sub.2 .fwdarw.S.sub.4 ; S.sub.2 -B.sub.1 -S.sub.3 -B.sub.2 .fwdarw.S.sub.4 ; and S.sub.3 -B.sub.2 .fwdarw.S.sub.4 wherein S.sub.1, S.sub.2 and S.sub.

Abstract: The effluent from a lithium initiated polmerization, wherein a coupling agent is utilized to join two or more polymer molecules together, with the resulting generation of LiO--, LiS--, or ##EQU1## groups is treated with carbon dioxide and an excess of water and thereafter stabilized with an organic phosphite and a glycine in combination with a hindered phenol.