PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF POLYMERS CONTAINING REACTIVE END GROUPS

The production of polymers containing terminal halogen groups from cationically polymerizable monomers using a metal halide boiling below 50 DEG C. at normal pressure as catalyst and an organic halide corresponding to the following general formula in which X is halogen, n is an integer of 1, 2, 3 or 4, R1 and R2 represent C5-C10 cycloalkyl or linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl and R3 represents C5-C10 cycloalkyl, linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl, C5-C10 cycloalkylene, linear or branched C1-C20 alkylene or aryl, and the organic halide (inifer) contains from 5 to 50 carbon atoms and is present in concentrations of from 10-1 to 10-6 moles per mole monomer while the metal halide is added in a 1.1 to 100-fold molar excess, based on halogen atoms of the organic halide, at temperatures of from +10 DEG to -130 DEG C. in an inert organic solvent or solvent mixture is possible with recovery of the catalyst and with formation of a product having a functionality differing only slightly, if at all, from the theoretical functionality providing the reaction components monomer, catalyst and inifer are continuously introduced into a polymerization apparatus in such a way that all three components are only mixed once they are inside the apparatus, the polymer solution is continuously removed from the apparatus, the polymer solution is freed from residual monomer, unreacted inifer and from the catalyst and worked up.