Process for preparing terminally reactive polymers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MAKING A TERMINALLY REACTIVE POLYMER WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A MONOMER SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE POLYMERIZABLE VINYLIDENE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CONJUGATED DIENES AND ARYLSUBSTITUTED OLEFINS WITH FROM ABOUT 0.25 TO 100 MILLIMOLES PER 100 GRAMS OF MONOMER OF AN ORGANO POLYLITHIUM POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR HAVING THE FORMULA RLIN WHEREIN N IS AN INTEGER OF 2 TO 4 AND R IS A HYDROCARBON RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALIPHATIC, CYCLOALIPHATIC AND AROMATIC RADICALS UNDER POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF -100 TO 150*C. AND IN THE PRESENCE OF PREDOMINANTLY HYDROCARBON DILUENT TO FORM A POLYMER CONTAINING TERMINAL LITHIUM ATOMS AND HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 1000, AND TREATING SAID LITHIUM-CONTAINING POLYME WITH A REAGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULFUR, HALOGEN, SULFURYL CHLORIDE, CARBON DISULFIDE, OXYGEN, CARBON DIOXIDE AND CARBONYL CHLORIDE, SAID CONTACTING OF MONOMER AND SAID TREATING WITH REAGENT BEING CARRIED OUT IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF HYDROLYSIS AGENT SUPPLYING HYDROGEN IONS AND SAID REAGENT BEING REACTIVE WITH SAID LITHIUM ATOMS IN THE POLYMER TO INTRODUCE THEREFOR A GROUP WHICH UPON REPLACEMENT OF ANY LITHIUM ATOM PRESENT IN THE POLYMER WITH A HYDROGEN ATOM IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP OF FUNCTIONAL GROUPS CONSISTING OF