Abstract: (1) A method for making a water soluble synthetic solid polymer product, which method comprises polymerizing a solution of a water soluble monomer, or of a mixture of monomers which are exclusively or predominantly water soluble monomers, in an aqueous medium in the presence of 0.5 to 50 percent, by weight of said monomer or monomers, of at least one member selected from the group consisting of water soluble solid monosaccharides and oligosaccharides, and (2) the directly millable polymer product having a low degree of crosslinking which is prepared thereby and which is useful as a flocculant, dispersing agent, thickening agent, water treating agent, coating agent or the like.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a method for the free-radical polymerization, at a temperature between 0.degree. C. and 100.degree. C. using ultraviolet light, of a material to be polymerized which comprises at least one unsaturated monomer, which method comprises adding an ultraviolet absorber which is only weakly effective or is inert as a free-radical initiator to the material to be polymerized, initiating polymerization of the material in an initiation phase by irradiation thereof with ultraviolet light, controlling the further course of the polymerization in a polymerization phase by increasing the intensity of the irradiating ultraviolet light with time, and concluding the polymerization by irradiation with ultraviolet light in a terminal phase, said ultraviolet absorber absorbing in the wavelength region of the irradiating ultraviolet light.

Abstract: A method for polymerizing or copolymerizing water-soluble monomers, in a layer thickness between 2 and 100 mm, and at a temperature between 0.degree. C. and 100.degree. C., by irradiation with ultraviolet light in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, wherein the material to be polymerized contains at least 1 ppm of a water-soluble anthraquinone unsubstituted in the 1,4,5, and 8-positions and at least 10 ppm of dissolved chloride ions.

Abstract: Polymer dispersions in which an aqueous phase comprising a water-soluble polymer is dispersed in an organic liquid in the presence of a polymeric water-in-oil type dispersing agent containing salt-forming basic nitrogen atoms. When the dispersion is mixed with water in the presence of an acid, which acid may be present in the aqueous or organic phase of the dispersion or added separately, the dispersing agent transforms into an oil-in-water type, the previously dispersed polymer dissolves in the water, and the previously continuous organic phase is dispersed in the water.Methods of making such polymer dispersions.Methods of forming aqueous solutions of water-soluble polymers by combining such dispersions with water in the presence of an acid.

Abstract: A process for the suspension polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers -- particularly for the preparation of water-soluble polymers -- wherein a liquid monomer phase is polymerized while suspended in a liquid organic suspending medium in the presence of a macromolecular stabilizing or suspending agent having a macromolecular portion or portions solvated by the liquid monomer phase and another macromolecular portion or portions solvated by the liquid organic suspending medium.Water-soluble suspension polymers, preparable by this process, comprising quaternization products or salts of dialkylaminoalkyl esters or of dialkylaminoalkyl amides of acrylic acid or of methacrylic acid.