HOMOGENEOUS POLY(ALKYLENE) GUANIDINES AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF

The invention relates to a method for producing poly(alkylene) guanidines, comprising at least the following steps: a) providing an alkylene diamine of the formula NH2-(CH2)m-NH2 with m=4-12, in particular 6-10, in a reaction vessel and heating the alkylene diamine to a temperature greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the alkylene diamine in question, typically to a temperature in a range of 25° C. to 115° C., preferably 55° C. to 110° C., whereby a melt of the alkylene diamine is produced; b) adding a guanidinium salt, in particular guanidinium HCl, in portions and reacting same with the alkylene diamine until the formation of alkylene(guanidine) monomers is completed; c) reacting the monomers formed in step b), at at least the minimum temperature at which the polymerization to form the desired poly(alkylene) guanidine begins, until the formation of the poly(alkylene) guanidine is completed; wherein steps a) and b) for forming alkylene(guanidine) monomers are carried out at a temperature below the minimum polymerization temperature and the mixture is stirred during all method steps. The invention further relates to the homogeneous poly(alkylene) guanidines obtainable by means of the method described above, said poly(alkylene) guanidines having a content of at least 85 wt %, in particular at least 90% or 97%, of a desired linear poly(alkylene) guanidine having 3-14, preferably 4-10, alkylene monomer units in the molecule as a main product and a content of by-products, in particular branched isomers of said poly(alkylene) guanidine, of at most 15%, 10%, 5% or 3%.