ORGANIC THIOSULPHATES AND THIOSULPHONATES USEFUL AS STABILISING AGENTS FOR RUBBER VULCANISATES

Additives for rubber compositions, giving vulcanisates having improved retention of optimum physical properties, are compounds containing two or more groups of the formula -S-SO2R linked by an organic bridging group, or polymers containing two or more groups of the formula -S-SO2R attached to an organic polymer chain, where R represents (a) a radical OM where M is a monovalent metal, the equivalent of a multivalent metal, a monovalent ion derived by the addition of a proton to a nitrogenous base, or the equivalent of a multivalent ion derived by the addition of two or more protons to a nitrogenous base, or (b) an organic radical selected from aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic radicals, and radicals which are combinations of any two or more such radicals.