Process for preparing insoluble, sulfur-containing polyamides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING INSOLUBLE, RESINOUS, POLYSULFIDE CROSS-LINKED POLYCONDENSATION PRODUCTS WHICH COMPRISES CONDENSING (A) A MEMBER SLECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SATURATED ALIPHATIC, AROMATIC, AND CYCLOALIPHATIC DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF FROM 146 TO 650, AND THE ESTERS, ANHYDRIDES, AND DIHALIDES THEREOF, WITH (B) A POLYALKYLENE POLYAMINE OF THE FORMULA H2N-((CH2)O-NH)X-((CH2)N-NH)Q-((CH2)M-NH)P-H WHEREIN N, M, AND O ARE EAACH AN INTEGER FROM 1 TO 4, P IS AN INTEGER FRORM 1 TO 6, AND Q AND R ARE EACH AN INTEGER FROM 0 TO 6, THE SUM OF P, Q, AND R BEING AT LEAST 2, TO FORM A BASIC POLYAMIDE, SUBSTITUTING AT LEAST 3 HYDROGEN ATOMS PRESENT ON NITROGEN ATOMS OF SAID BASIC POLYAMIDE BY RADICALS CONTAINING AN INTERCHANGEABLE HALOGEN ATOM AND A FORMULA SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF -CH2-CH(-OH)-CH2-X AND -CO-(CH2)S-X WHEREIN X IS A HALOGEN ATOM AND S IS AN INTEGER FROM 1 TO 3, BY REACTING SAID POLYAMIDE WITH A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF EPIHALOHYDRINS, DIHALOHYDRINS, AND A-, B-, AND $-HALOGENO-CARBOXYLIC ACID HALIDES, CONTACTING THE SUBSTITUTED COMPOUND THUS OBTAINED WITH AN INORGANIC WATER SOLUBLE THIOSULFATE IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 40* TO 100*C., WHEREBY SAID HALOGEN ATOMS ARE REPLACED BY THIOSULFATE GROUPS TO FORM AN ORGANIC POLYTHIOSULFATE, AND THEN CROSS-LINKING SAID ORGANIC POLYTHIOSULFATE BY HEATING WITH AN ALKALENE CONDENSATION AGENT AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 0* TO 130*C