Copolymers of vinylidene cyanide with monoolefins

Copolymers of the structure -M1-M2-(-M1-M2-) -M1-M2-where each M1 is a vinylidene cyanide unit and each M2 is a unit of another monomer and X is a number, and where the other monomer is selected from (1) an olefin of the formula CH2 = C.R-CH3 or CH2 = CR-Ar, where R is hydrogen or alkyl and Ar is an aromatic radical; (2) a vinyl or isopropenyl ester of a saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid or an aromatic monocarboxylic acid; (3) an alkyl methacrylate; (4) vinyl chloride; (5) vinylidene chloride; and (6) a 2-halogenated mono-olefin, are made by polymerizing in bulk or in an organic solvent or diluent in the presence of a peroxygen catalyst, e.g. o,o1-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide. Specified monomers are (1) propylene, isobutylene, 2 - methylbutene - 1, 2 - methylbutene-1, 2-methylpentene-1, 2,3-dimethylbutene-1, 2,3-dimethylpentene-1, 2,4-dimethylpentene-1, 2,3,3-trimethylbutene-1, 2-methylheptene-1, 2,3-dimethylhexene-1, 2,4-dimethylhexene-1, 2,5-dimethylhexene-1, 2-methyl-3-ethylpentene - 1, 2,3,3 - trimethylpentene - 1, 2,3,4 - trimethylpentene - 1, 2,4,4 - trimethylpentene - 1, 2 - methyloctene - 1, 2,6 - dimethylheptene - 1, 2,6 - dimethyloctene - 1, 2,3-dimethyldecene-1, 2-methylnonadecene-1, styrene, alpha-methyl or ethyl or butyl styrene, alpha-chlorostyrene, alpha-bromostyrene, 2,5-dichlorostyrene, 2,5-dibromostyrene, o-, m- or p-methoxystyrene, p-alpha-dimethyl styrene, p-methylstyrene, 3,4-dichlorostyrene, 3,4-difluorostyrene, o-, m- or p-fluorostyrenes, 2,6-dichlorostyrene, 2,6-difluorostyrene, 3-fluoro-4-chlorostyrene, 3-chloro-4-fluorostyrene, 2,4-dichlorostyrene, 2,4,5 - trichlorostyrene, dichloromonofluorostyrenes; (2) vinyl acetate or propionate or butyrate or isobutyrate or valerate or caproate or enanthate or bromoacetate, or alpha - chloropropionate, or alpha - bromopropionate, or alpha-iodopropionate, or alpha-chlorobutyrate, or alpha - chlorovalerate or alpha-bromovalerate, benzoate or nuclear substituted benzoate, e.g. by chlorine, bromine or methoxy or ethoxy radicals, isopropenyl acetate or propionate or butyrate or isobutyrate or valeronate or caproate, or benzoate or p-chlorobenzoate or o-bromobenzoate or m-chlorobenzoate, or toluate or chloroacetate or alpha-bromopropionate; (3) methyl or ethyl or propyl or butyl or amyl or hexyl or decyl or heptyl or octyl methacrylate; (6) 2-chloropropene, 2-chlorobutene, 2-chloropentene, 2-chlorohexene, 2-chloroheptene, 2-bromobutene, 2-bromoheptene, 2-fluorohexene, 2-fluorobutene, 2-iodopropen