Abstract: Aromatic polymers containing benzenoid groups and oxygen atoms in the polymer chains are made by the action of an alkali metal hydroxide on a dihalogenobenzenoid compound in which each halogen atom is activated by an inert electron-attracting group such as --SO.sub.2 --.

Abstract: A graft copolymer comprises a substrate of a diene rubber, and a homogeneous superstrate containing units of acrylonitrile and at least one aromatic olefin having a molar ratio of acrylonitrile to olefin between 2 and 9. The superstrate may also contain a minor amount (preferably less than 10 mole %) of at least one other comonomer selected from acenaphthylene, vinyl carbazole and its derivatives, maleimide and its N-substituted derivatives and norbornene and its derivatives.

Abstract: Copolymers containing 40 to 90 mole % of repeat units ##STR1## and correspondingly 10 to 60 mole % of repeat units ##STR2## where Q and Q' are --SO.sub.2 -- or --CO-- and the number of --SO.sub.2 -- groups is 3 to 25% of the total number of --SO.sub.2 -- and --CO-- groups.

Abstract: Build-up during vinyl halide, particularly vinyl chloride, polymerization is prevented by employing a reactor having an adherent internal coating of a product derived from the admixture of at least polyethyleneimine and one or more of hydroquinone, p-benzoquinone, catechol and o-benzoquinone. The preferred system excludes catechol, p-benzoquinone and o-benzoquinone and optionally includes a small quantity of pyrogallol. The chemical constitution of the resulting coating product is not properly understood but is thought to include aminoquinonoid structures, condensates and radical anions. One embodiment is directed towards low temperature formation of the coating product in the presence of oxygen and on the reactor surface. Another embodiment concerns preforming the coating product and then applying it to the reactor surfaces.

Abstract: Aromatic polyethers containing --SO.sub.2 -- and/or --CO-- groups are made by reacting (i) an equimolar mixture of a bisphenol and an aromatic dihalo compound or (ii) a halophenol, in which dihalo compound or halophenol the halogen atoms are activated by ortho or para --SO.sub.2 -- or --CO-- groups, with sodium carbonate or bicarbonate in admixture with a second alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate the alkali metal of the second carbonate or bicarbonate being of higher atomic number than that of sodium. The amount of the second alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate is such that there is 0.001 to 0.2 gram atom of the second alkali metal per gram atom of sodium.

Abstract: A graft copolymer comprises a substrate of a diene rubber, and a homogeneous superstrate containing units of acrylonitrile and at least one aromatic olefin having a molar ratio of acrylonitrile to olefin between 2 and 9. The superstrate may also contain a minor amount (preferably less than 10 mole %) of at least one other comonomer selected from acenaphthylene, vinyl carbazole and its derivatives, maleimide and its N-substituted derivatives and norbornene and its derivatives.

Abstract: A phenol is reacted with sulphur trioxide in the presence of liquid hydrogen fluoride to form a 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulphone. A molar excess of hydrogen fluoride and stoichiometric proportions of sulphur trioxide and phenol or a slight excess of sulphur trioxide over phenol are preferred.