| abstract |
A process for the production of water-soluble or water-swellable cationic polymers by (i) free-radically initiated copolymerization of monomer mixtures in water comprising (a) from 1 to 99% by weight of a cationic monomer or quaternizable monomer, (b) from 1 to 99% by weight of a water-soluble monomer, (c) from 0 to 10% by weight of a bi- or polyfunctional, free-radically copolymerizable monomer, adjusting the amounts (a) to (c) in such a way that the resulting polymer has an overall positive charge, in the presence of 1 to 100% of the amount of a salt which is necessary to saturate the reaction medium with said salt and in the presence of 0,1 to 20 % by weight referred to the weight of the dispersion, of an amphoteric dispersant having an overall negative charge, and (ii) subsequent quaternization of the polymer if the monomer (a) employed is a non-quaternized monomer is disclosed. |