GRAFT COPOLYMERS AND LUBRICANTS CONTAINING SUCH AS DISPERSANT-VISCOSITY IMPROVERS

Abstract: A graft polymer is prepared by grafting, onto a polymeric hydrocarbon backbone, a free-radical polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer, which grafting takes place in the presence of an aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain transfer. The modified hydrocarbon based polymer finds utility as an additive for lubricating oils, particularly as dispersant-viscosity improvers for engine oils.

Description: Title: GRAFT COPOLYMERS AND LUBRICANTS CONTAINING SUCH AS DISPERSANT-VISCOSITY IMPROVERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to novel, nitrogen-containing polymeric compositions. In particular, this invention relates to graft copolymers, methods of making such graft copolymers and the use thereof as dispersant-viscosity improvers for lubricating oils, and oil compositions and concentrates containing such graft copolymers. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many polymer materials are known. Numerous polymers have found use in lubricating oils as viscosity improving agents. These materials are also often referred to as viscosity index improvers. Multifunctional additives that provide both viscosity improving properties and dispersant properties are likewise known in the art. Such products are described in numerous publications including Dieter Klamann, "Lubricants and Related Products", Verlag Chemie Gmbh (1984), pp 185-193; C. V. Smalheer and R. K. Smith, "Lubricant Additives", Lezius-Hiles Co (1967); M. . Ranney, "Lubricant Additives", Noyes Data Corp. (1973), pp 92-145, M. . Ranney, "Lubricant Additives, Recent Devel¬ opments", Noyes Data Corp (1978), pp 139-164; and M. . Ranney, "Synthetic Oils and Additives for Lubricants", Noyes Data Corp. (1980), pp 96-166. Each of these publi¬ cations is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. The viscosity of lubricating oils, particularly the viscosity of mineral oil based lubricating oils, is generally dependent upon temperature. As the temperature of the oil is increased, the viscosity usually decreases. The function of a viscosity improver is to increase the kinematic viscosity of an oil at elevated temperatures with minimal increases in viscosity at low temperature. Thus, a viscosity improver enables an oil containing it to resist significant changes in viscosity with changes in temperature. Dispersants are also well known in the lubricating art. Dispersants are employed in lubricants to keep impurities, particularly those formed during operation of an internal combustion engine, in suspension rather than allowing them to deposit as sludge. One type of compound having both viscosity improving and dispersancy properties is comprised of a polymer backbone onto which backbone has been attached one or more monomers having polar groups. Such compounds are fre¬ quently prepared by a grafting operation wherein the backbone polymer is reacted directly with a suitable monomer. Several methods for preparing such grafted polymers are known. One method involves thermal grafting of an activated olefin monomer onto a backbone containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds by a process known as the "ene" reaction. For example, maleic anhydride can be grafted onto an ethylene propylene diene modified (EPDM) polymer backbone. Usually the succinic derivative so obtained is further reacted with polar group containing reagents, such as amines, alcohols, etc. to provide dispersant-viscosity improvers. See for example U.S. 4,320,019 and U.S. 4,357,250. Another method for preparing graft copolymers for use as dispersant-viscosity improvers involves reacting a hydrocarbon based polymer backbone with a monomer contain¬ ing a polar group in the presence of a free radical initiator. Numerous patents deal with the subject includ¬ ing U.S. 3,089,832; U.S. 4,181,618; and 4,358,565. The free-radical graft process is, in principle, a simple way to provide a measured degree of polarity to a hydrocarbon backbone polymer. In practice, however, several problems are encountered. Often the free-radical initiator will cause significant cross-linking of the polymer backbone, resulting in poor oil solubility and reduced effectiveness as a viscosity improver. Furthermore, the use of alkyl peroxide initiators at high temperatures (in the range of 120-180°C) frequently results in degradation of the polymer backbone, diminish¬ ing the average molecular weight and resulting in an undesirable loss of thickening power in the final product. Other problems arise if the polar vinyl monomer itself undergoes significant homopolymerization or oligimerization rather than participating in the grafting process. As mentioned above, the purpose of the free radical graft process is to impart a measured degree of polarity to a hydrocarbon polymer when it is successfully attached to backbone. Ideally, the graft monomer will attach to the backbone polymer in monomeric units. Homopolymerization of the graft monomer is detrimental in several ways, and can adversely affect the nature of the products: 1. The polar homopolymer so produced is usually insoluble, and the resulting product is nonho ogeneous and hazy in appearance. Filtration of a highly viscous polymer solution to try to improve clarity by removing the suspended homopolymer is an undesirable processing step since it presents handling difficulties, increased time cycles and relatively poor efficiency. 2. The homopolymers so introduced are frequently detrimental to performance in lubricants, particularly when used at high temperatures or under oxidizing conditions. 3. Monomers converted to homopolymer are not available for grafting onto the resin substrate, and the effect of the polar group in providing the desired dispersancy is lost. 4. The grafting process becomes inefficient with respect to the utilization of raw materials. The grafting process is often carried out in the presence of a solvent. The solvents employed in the prior art have generally been the same solvents used for prepar¬ ing the backbone polymer. That is, they are present to reduce viscosity and to facilitate processing. These solvents are often specified as saturated hydrocarbons (e.g., cyclohexane) or haloaromatic compounds, neither of which normally undergo hydrogen-atom transfer to any significant degree. See, for example, U.S. Patent 4,358,565, which teaches that the grafting process, carried out in the presence of free radical polymerization initiator, is suitably carried out in solvents which have a very low reactivity towards free radicals, e.g., dichlorobenzene, benzene and preferably, cyclohexane. The problem of gelling has been recognized. European Patent Application 171167 teaches that gelling can be reduced by conducting the reaction in the presence of a free radical initiator and a chain stopping agent. Aliphatic mercaptans are preferred. Tertiary mercaptans and N,N-diethyl hydroxylamine are most preferred. Other chain stopping agents disclosed are cumene, alcohols, phenols, etc. This European Patent Application deals with chain stopping agents as a general class and prefers certain reactive materials as chain stopping agents. As will be discussed hereinafter, reactive chain stopping agents are not desirable when the graft polymer, prepared in the presence of these agents, is intended for use in lubricating oil compositions, and because they may inter¬ act in an adverse manner with the vinyl-nitrogen monomer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide novel polymers. It is a further object to provide improved graft copolymers. Another object is to provide lubricating oil additives. These objects are accomplished by this invention which provides a graft polymer comprising an oil soluble or dispersible hydrocarbon polymer backbone onto which backbone has been grafted a free-radical-polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer, said grafting having taken place in the presence of a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent, capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain-transfer, selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, dieth lbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene , 1 , 2 , ,5-tetramethylbenzene, esitylene, tetralin, alkyl benzene bottoms, alkyl tetralins, alkyl naphthalenes and alkyl toluenes, such as 4-isopropyltoluene, containing a total of 1 to about 4 alkyl groups, wherein each alkyl group contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and the total number of carbon atoms in all alkyl groups does not exceed about 10, and phenyl substituted alkanes, wherein the alkane contains from 4 to about 16 carbons, and there are 2 or 3 phenyl substituents. It is an additional object to provide a process for preparing the above-described polymer, which process avoids the above-described difficulties such as poor solubility, reduced effectiveness as dispersant/viscosity improvers and poor utilization of raw materials. This object is accomplished by the process of this invention which comprises reacting a free-radical-polmerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer with a hydrocarbon polymer in the pres- ence of a catalytic amount of a free-radical generating reagent and a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain-transfer, which aromatic solvent is selected from the group described hereinabove. Additive concentrates and lubricating compositions containing the graft copolymers of this invention are also contemplated. These and other objects of the invention are de¬ scribed in detail hereinbelow, or will become apparent to those - skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention encompasses a graft polymer comprising an oil soluble or dispersible hydrocarbon backbone onto which backbone has been grafted a free-radical-polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer, said grafting having taken place in the presence of a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain-transfer. The graft polymer is prepared in the presence of a catalytic amount of a free-radical generat- ing reagent. As used herein, the terms "hydrocarbon", "hydrocarbyl" or "hydrocarbon based" mean that the group being described has predominantly hydrocarbon character within the context of " this invention. These include groups that are purely hydrocarbon in nature, that is, they contain only carbon and hydrogen. They may also include groups containing substituents which do not alter the predominantly hydrocarbon character of the group. Such substituents may include halo-, alkoxy-, nitro-, etc. These groups also may contain hetero atoms. Suitable hetero atoms will be apparent to those skilled in the art and include, for example, sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen. Therefore, while remaining predominantly hydrocarbon in character within the context of this invention, these groups may contain atoms other than carbon present in a chain or ring otherwise composed of carbon atoms. In general, no more than about three non-hydrocarbon substituents or hetero atoms, and preferably no more than one, will be present for every 10 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon based groups. Most preferably, the groups are purely hydrocarbon in nature, that is, they are essentially free of atoms other than carbon and hydrogen. The Hydrocarbon Backbone The hydrocarbon backbone is an essentially hydrocar- bon based polymer, usually one having a molecular weight (Mw) between 25,000 and 500,000, more often between 50,000 and 200,000. Molecular weights of the polymeric hydrocarbon backbone are determined using well-known methods described in the literature. Examples of proce- dures for determining molecular weights are gel permeation chromatography (also known as size-exclusion chromatography) and vapor phase osmometry. These and other procedures are described in numerous publications including: P. J. Flory, "Principles of Polymer Chemistry", Cornell University Press (1953), Chapter VII, pp 266-316, and "Macromolecules, an Introduction to Polymer Science", F. A. Bovey and F. H. Winslow, Editors, Academic Press (1979) , pp 296-312. These publications are hereby incorporated by refer¬ ence for relevant disclosures contained therein relating to the determination of molecular weight. The backbone may contain aliphatic, aromatic or cycloaliphatic components, or mixtures thereof. The hydrocarbon polymer backbone is often hydrogenated to such an extent that the resulting hydrogenated polymer has olefinic unsaturation, based on the total number of carbon to carbon bonds in the polymer, of less than 5%. Prefera- bly, the hydrogenated polymer will contain less than 2%, more preferably no more than 1% residual unsaturation. Most preferably, the hydrocarbon polymer backbone is exhaustively hydrogenated. Aromatic unsaturation is not considered olefinic unsaturation within the context of this invention. In preferred embodiments, the hydrocarbon backbone is an oil soluble or dispersible polymer or copolymer select¬ ed from the group consisting of: a) hydrogenated homopolymers of conjugated dienes, b) hydrogenated copolymers of a conjugated diene with one or more olefins or other conjugated dienes, c) copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 Garbon atoms, and d) hydrogenated lower olefin non-conjugated diene modified terpolymers. Throughout the specification and claims the expres¬ sion oil soluble or dispersible is used. By oil soluble or dispersible is meant that an amount needed to provide the desired level of activity or performance can be dissolved, dispersed or suspended in an oil of lubricating viscosity. Usually, this means that at least about 0.001% by weight of the material can be dissolved, etc. , in a lubricating oil composition. For a further discussion of the terms oil soluble and dispersible, particularly "stably dispersible", see U.S. Patent 4,320,019 which is expressly incorporated herein by reference for relevant teachings in this regard. Examples of suitable hydrocarbon backbones are a) oil soluble or dispersible hydrogenated homopolymers of conjugated dienes including polymers of 1,3-dienes of the formula wherein each substituent denoted by R, or R with a numeri- cal subscript, is independently hydrogen or hydrocarbon based, wherein hydrocarbon based is as defined herein- above. Preferably at least one substituent is H. Normal¬ ly, the total carbon content of the diene will not exceed _ 20 carbons. Preferred dienes for preparation of the homopolymer are piperylene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-l,3-butadiene, chloroprene and 1,3-butadiene. Suitable homopolymers of conjugated dienes are described, and methods for their preparation are given in numerous U.S. patents, including the following: 3,547,821 3,835,053 3,959,161 3,965,019 4,085,055 4,116,917 As a specific example, U.S. 3,959,161 teaches the preparation of hydrogenated polybutadiene. b) oil soluble or dispersible hydrogenated copolymers of a conjugated diene with one or more olefins or other conjugated dienes. Copolymers of conjugated dienes are prepared from two or more conjugated dienes. Useful dienes are the same as those described in the preparation of homopolymers of conjugated dienes hereinabove. The following U.S. patents describe diene copolymers and methods for preparing them: 3,965,019 4,073,737 4,085,055 4,116,917 For example, U.S. Patent 4,073,737 describes the prepara¬ tion and hydrogenation of butadiene-isoprene copolymers. U.S. Patent 3,668,125 discusses block copolymers including polyvinylcyclohexane-hydrogenated polybutadiene-polyvinyl- cyclohexane. Copolymers of conjugated dienes with olefins contain¬ ing aromatic groups, e.g., styrene, methyl styrene, etc. are described in numerous patents including the following: 3,554,911 4,077,893 3,992,310 4,082,680 3,994,815 4,085,055 4,031,020 4,116,917 4,073,738 4,136,048 4,145,298 For example, U.S. Patent 3,554,911 describes a hydrogenated random butadiene-styrene copolymer, its preparation and hydrogenation. (c) oil soluble or dispersible hydrogenated copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms. These hydrogenated copolymers of alpha-olefins may be prepared from branched chain or linear alpha-olefins or mixtures thereof. Ziegler-Natta catalyzed copolymers are exemplary. Hydrogenated copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of Ziegler-Natta catalyzed copolymers of mixed aliphatic alpha-olefins and aliphatic alpha-olefin mixtures with styrene are preferred. Numerous patents, including the following, describe the preparation of hydrogenated copolymers of alpha olefins. 3,513,096 4,068,057 3,551,336 4,081,391 3,562,160 4,089,794 3,607,749 4,098,710 3,634,249 4,113,636 3,637,503 4,132,661 3,992,310 4,137,185 4,031,020 4,138,370 4,068,056 4,144,181 Ethylene-propylene copolymers are the most common copolymers of alpha-olefins. A description of an ethylene-propylene copolymer appears in U.S. 4,137,185. d) hydrogenated oil soluble or dispersible lower olefin non-conjugated diene modified terpolymers. There are numerous commercial sources for these lower For DuPont Company) which is a terpolymer having about 48 mole % ethylene groups, 48 mole % propylene groups and 4 mole % 1,4-hexadiene groups, and numerous other such materials are readily available. Such materials and methods for their preparation are described in numerous patents including the following: 3,598,738 4,026,809 4,032,700 4,156,061 3,320,019 4,357,250 U.S. Patent 3,598,738, which describes the preparation of ethylene-propylene-1,4-hexadiene terpolymers, is illustrative. This patent also lists numerous references describing the use of various polymerization catalysts. Details of various types of polymers, reaction conditions, physical properties, and the like are provided in the above patents and in numerous books, including: "Riegel's Handbook of Industrial Chemistry", 7th edition, James A. Kent Ed., Van Nσstrand Reinhold Co., New York (1974), Chapters 9 and 10, P. J. Flory, "Principles of Polymer Chemistry", Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y. (1953) , "Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", 3rd edition, Vol 8 (Elastomers, Synthetic, and various subheadings thereunder) , John Wiley and Sons, New York (1979), and US 3,300,459. Each of the above-mentioned books and patents is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference for relevant disclosures contained therein. Vinyl Nitrogen Monomers The hydrocarbon backbone, while contributing to the viscosity-improving characteristics of the products of this invention, by itself contributes little toward dispersancy in lubricants. The vinyl nitrogen monomer grafted onto the backbone provides the bulk of the contri¬ bution toward the dispersancy properties of the additive. The vinyl nitrogen monomers used in this invention are free-radical polymerizable monomers. Numerous exam¬ ples of suitable vinyl nitrogen monomers appear in the technical and patent literature. Suitable monomers include A. amides with vinyl groups, including acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-alkyl- and N,N-dialkyl-substituted acrylamides and ethacrylamides, such as N-octyl acrylamide, N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide, and N-3-(N,N- dimethylamino)propylacrylamide or the corresponding methacrylamide, diacetone acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2- methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, and the like; B. nitrogen containing acrylate and methacrylate esters, including, for example, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate or acrylate; C. imides, including N-vinyl succinimide and N-vinyl maleimide; D. heterocyclic compounds having vinyl groups, such as 1. vinyl substituted lactams and thio analogs thereof, such as N-vinyl pyrrolidone and N-vinyl thiopyrrolidone and corresponding caprolactams and their alkyl substituted derivatives, 2. other vinyl substituted heterocyclic nitrogen compounds including vinyl substituted indoles, thiazoles, thiazolines, pyrroles, piperazines, oxazolines, imidazoles, including N-vinyl imidazole, carbazoles, including N-vinyl carbazole, and C-vinylpyridines, including ring-alkylated vinyl pyridines and exemplified by 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 3,5-diethy1-4-vinylpyridine, 5-(n-octyl)-2-vinylpyridine, 3-(n-dodecyl)-2-vinylpyridine, 3,5-di-(n-hexyl)-4-vinylpyridine, 6-methoxy-2-vinylpyridine, 4-dimethylamino-2-vinylpyridine, 1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethylene, and 3. vinylquinolines; E. N-vinyloxazolidone; F. ethylenically substituted piperidines; G. vinylmorpholines; and the like. As noted hereinabove, the nitrogen monomer when grafted onto the backbone provides a major contribution toward the dispersancy effect of the product. It has also been observed that when the N-vinyl compound further contains sulfur, particularly when sulfur and nitrogen are both present in a heterocyclic ring, the additive may also provide a significant antioxidant effect. These and other nitrogen containing monomers are listed in the following U.S. patents and European patent applications, which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference for relevant disclosures contained therein. U.S. 3,089,832 U.S. 4,092,255 U.S. 4,427,834 U.S. 3,639,523 U.S. 4,170,561 U.S. 4,490,267 U.S. 3,666,730 U.S. 4,146,489 U.S. 4,496,691 U.S. 3,687,849 U.S. 4,181,618 EP 0171167 U.S. 4,085,055 U.S. 4,358,565 EP 0199453 In general, the vinyl nitrogen monomer will be used in an amount ranging from about 0.01 to about 20.0 percent by weight based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon backbone. Preferably, the vinyl nitrogen monomer is used in an amount ranging from about 1 to about 15 percent by weight, more preferably from about 2 to about 10 percent by weight. Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Substituted Aromatic Solvent As described hereinabove, a free-radical polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer is grafted onto the hydrocarbon backbone in the presence of a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain transfer. The aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent belongs to the class of aromatic compounds con- taining at least one benzylic hydrogen atom. That is, there is present a substituent containing at least one CH group which is directly attached to an aromatic ring. Thus, the aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent will contain components having the structure ! Ar—C—H I wherein Ar is an aromatic nucleus, such as a benzene nucleus. Ar may also be a polynuclear aromatic nucleus, for example, a fused ring nucleus, such as found in naphthalene, or it may be a linked type wherein at least two nuclei (either mono- or polynuclear) are linked by covalent bonds such as carbon-to-carbon bonds. Examples of suitable Ar groups are described in U.S. 4,100,082 which is hereby incorporated by reference for relevant disclosures contained therein. It is preferred that the aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent is purely hydrocarbyl, that is, essentially free of atoms other than carbon and hydrogen. This solvent is used in an amount sufficient to prevent or inhibit crosslinking of the hydrocarbon backbone and to reduce the tendency of the vinyl nitrogen monomer to undergo homopolymerization. The hydrocarbon alkylated aromatic chain transfer agent is a critical element of this invention. Without the presence of this agent, extensive crosslinking of the polymer backbone may occur during the grafting process. Crosslinking can have an adverse effect on the solubility or dispersibility of the product. Rather than dissolve, extensively crosslinked polymers may simply swell with solvents, thus being rendered ineffective as a viscosity improver for lubricant formulations. Typical examples of gel formation during polymer processing may be found in various examples in U.S. 4,010,223, assigned to E. I. DuPont de Nemours. Furthermore, as mentioned hereinabove, the vinyl nitrogen monomers are free-radical polymerizable, and highly reactive. Accordingly, instead of grafting in a monomeric fashion onto free-radical sites generated on the backbone of the polymer substrate, the monomers can oligomerize at that site, to incorporate a "whisker" of multiple monomer units. A function of the alkylated aromatic solvent is to terminate this growing monomer segment by hydrogen atom chain transfer, so that this polar segment remains small, and preferably monomeric. If the polar nitrogen monomer is allowed to oligomerize at the grafting site on the polymer backbone, there will consequently be fewer total sites bearing this polar substituent, and the dispersant efficiency of the product may be diminished proportionately. Homopolymerization of the polar nitrogen monomer may also occur away from the polymer grafting sites, in the body of the reaction mixture. Since the polymer is usually relatively nonpolar, while the monomers are very polar, contact between the two may be difficult, and the monomers will tend to agglomerate together throughout the reaction mixture. In those instances, the hydrocarbon-alkylated aromatic agent also serves the functions of interfering with monomer association and promoting intimate monomer-polymer contact by mutual solvency, as well as acting as a chain transfer agent to inhibit the polymerization of unreacted monomers in solution. Without the hydrocarbon-alkylated aromatic agent , homopolymers of the polar vinyl nitrogen monomers frequently form which result in hazy products, and impart this haze to siibsequent lubricant blends. Removing the finely-divided homopolymers is difficult, and often impossible; the additional manufacturing steps involved can be wasteful and time-consuming, and can render the overall process economically unfeasible. No matter where such homopolymerization occurs, at grafting sites or in the bulk of the reaction mixture, the result is inefficient utilization of a costly raw material. The aromatic solvent used as the chain transfer agent in this invention has the particular advantage of being essentially non-reactive toward the hydrocarbon backbone and the vinyl nitrogen monomer. That is, the aliphatic hydrocarbon substituted aromatic solvent used as a chain-transfer agent when preparing the graft polymers of this invention will not react and form new chemical compounds with either the hydrocarbon backbone or the vinyl nitrogen monomer. Furthermore, if any of the chain transfer agents used in preparing the graft polymer of this invention remains in the product, it will not react chemically with any of the other additives which may be present in an additive concentrate or lubricating composi¬ tion containing the graft polymers. Numerous types of chain-transfer agents are known, and are often used in polymer chemistry to control molecu¬ lar weight, to inhibit premature polymerization of active monomers, and to reduce crosslinking. However, many of the more active chain transfer agents are not chemically inert. For example, some of the most common types are mercaptans, compositions of general formula R-SH, where R can be alkyl, aryl, or other substantially hydrocarbyl groups. Mercaptans can have adverse effects when used in a lubricating composition containing additives with which they can interact. Furthermore, although they may act as chain transfer agents at relatively low levels, at high levels (greater than 1%) mercaptans can actually initiate polymerization of vinyl monomers and can also act as vulcanizing agents, inducing crosslinking and gellation of partially unsaturated polymers. Certain mercaptans are known to be toxic. Mercaptans can also interact adversely with the polar monomers, both by salt formation between the acidic mercaptan and the basic nitrogen of the monomer, as well as by conjugate addition to the polymerizable vinyl portions of those molecules. Those monomers that do react with the mercaptans can be rendered unpolymerizable, and the salts that may be formed are contaminants which can be detrimental to the effectiveness and stability of the dispersant viscosity improver products. The deposits which are formed by thermal decomposition of these mercaptan salts, as well as the corrosion promoted by them, contribute negatively to engine operation. The hydrocarbon-alkylated aromatic chain transfer agents of this invention do not have these deficiencies. They will not interact adversely with basic nitrogen monomers, nor do they have an objectionable odor. In addition to solubilizing monomers, these aromatic transfer agents also act to promote contact between the various hydrocarbon- polymer substrates and the polar monomers, resulting in enhanced efficiency of grafting. The chain transfer agents of the present invention are chosen to provide a balance of adequate activity toward free radicals and yet are materials which, if they remain in the graft copolymer, will not interact adversely or interfere with other additives which may be, and usually are, present in additive concentrates and finished lubricating oil blends. It is preferred, however, that the chain-transfer agent is substantially removed from the graft copolymer. The chain transfer agents of this invention are aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvents capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain transfer. The solvent usually has from 1 to 4 aliphatic hydrocarbon substituents. These materials must contain one or more benzylic hydrogen atoms on a hydrocarbon substituent on the aromatic ring. The simplest example is toluene, which bears three benzylic hydrogen atoms. Other representative examples of aromatic solvents capable of free-radical hydrogen atom transfer are the xylene isomers, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene, mesitylene, tetralin, alkylbenzene bottoms, alkyl naphthalenes, alkyl tetralins, alkyl biphenyls, alkyl diphenyl oxide, and various alkyl toluenes, such as 4-isopropyltoluene, having from 1 to about 4 alkyl groups, wherein each alkyl group contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and the total number of carbon atoms in all alkyl groups does not exceed about 10. Chain transfer of dialkyl naphthalene is particularly efficient. Other useful aromatic solvents will occur to those skilled in the art. Toluene and xylene are preferred. As discussed hereinabove, solvents have been used in the art to facilitate processing. Such solvents, such as cyclohexane, benzene and halogenated hydrocarbons do not undergo hydrogen atom chain transfer to any significant degree. Such solvents may, however, be used in the process of the present invention to facilitate processing, such as serving as diluents to reduce viscosity, provided that they do not interfere with the chain transfer agents employed in the process of this invention. The amount of chain transfer agent employed depends on the molecular weight of the chain transfer agent and on its reactivity. Typically, the chain transfer agent is used in amounts from 0.01 to about 15 percent by weight, preferably from about 0.05 to about 5 percent by weight of the total weight of the reaction mixture. Extensive discussions of the mechanics and kinetics of chain transfer appear in Flory, "Principles of Polymer Chemistry", Cornell University Press (1953) and in Bovey and Winslow, "Macromolecules, An Introduction to Polymer Science", Academic Press (1979), which texts are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference for relevant disclosures contained therein. Free Radical-Generating Reagents Free radical generating reagents are well known to those skilled in the art. Examples include benzoyl peroxide, t-butyl meta-chloroperbenzoate, t-butyl perox¬ ide, sec-butylperoxydicarbonate, azobisisobutyronitrile, potassium persulfate, and the like. Numerous examples of free radical-generating reagents, also known as free-radical initiators, are mentioned in the above- referenced texts by Flory and by Bovey and Winslow. An extensive listing of free-radical initiators appears in J. Brandrup and E. H. I mergut, Editors, "Polymer Handbook", 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1975) , pages II-l to 11-40. Preferred free radical-generating reagents are t-butyl peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, t-amyl peroxide, cumyl peroxide, t-butyl m-chloroperbenzoate and azobis-isovaleronitrile. The free-radical initiators are generally used in an amount from 0.01 to about 10 percent by weight based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon backbone. Preferably, the initiators are used at about 0.05 to about 1 percent by weight of the hydrocarbon backbone. The reaction is conducted at temperatures ranging between about 80°C to about 200°C, preferably between about 130°C to about 170°C. Considerations for determin¬ ing reaction temperatures include reactivity of the grafting system and the half-life " of the initiator at a particular temperature. The choice of free radical generating reagent can be an important consideration. For example, when a hydrocar¬ bon polymer undergoing grafting with a monomer is diluted with a solvent such as a hydrocarbon oil, grafting of the vinyl nitrogen monomer onto the oil diluent may occur. It has been observed that in the grafting of vinyl nitrogen monomers onto oil diluted styrene-diene copolymers, the choice of initiator affects the extent of grafting of the vinyl nitrogen monomer onto the oil diluent. Reducing the amount of monomer grafted onto the diluent usually results in an increased amount of monomer grafted onto the polymer backbone. Azo group containing initiators, such as Vazc ^ polymerization initiators (DuPont) employed in the graft¬ ing process at about 95°C result in a much higher degree of grafting onto the polymer backbone than do peroxide initiators such as t-butyl peroxide, employed at about 150-160°C. The following examples illustrate the preparation of representative modified hydrocarbon-based polymers of this invention. Unless indicated otherwise, all parts and percentages are by weight, all temperatures are in degrees Celsius and pressures are in millimeters of mercury or Torr. These examples are illustrative, and are not intended to impose any limitation on the scope of this invention. Example 1 A solution of 1334 parts of hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymer (Glissoviscal 5260, supplied by BASF) in 4000 parts mineral oil (100 Neutral, Sun Oil) is prepared by adding the solid polymer to the mineral oil in a 12-liter, 4-necked reaction flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, subsurface nitrogen purge tube, solids addition funnel and water cooled condenser, at 180-185°C over 1.25 hours with stirring. The mixture is held at 185-187°C for 2.75 hours to obtain solution of the solids. A slow, subsurface nitrogen sparge is maintained during the processing steps. The reaction flask is then equipped with two addition funnels for adding separately the catalyst solution and monomer solution. The tempera¬ ture of the polymer-oil solution is reduced to 150°C. A solution of 27 parts of t-butyl peroxide and a second solution of 92 parts 2-vinylpyridine, each in 79 part portions of xylene, are prepared and charged to the addition funnels. The t-butyl peroxide and 2-vinyl- pyridine solutions are added to the polymer solution concurrently at 155°C over 1.3 hours under a slow nitrogen purge. The reaction mixture is held at 155°C for 1.5 hours after addition is complete, then the product is diluted with 2134 parts additional mineral oil and is stirred for 0.25 hours. Five parts of hydroquinone monomethyl ether inhibitor is then added, and the reaction mixture is stripped to 160°C at 9 Torr. Additional mineral oil (1931 parts) is added to obtain a clear amber solution of 15 weight percent chemical in oil containing 0.14 percent nitrogen by analysis. Example 2 A 12-liter flask is charged with 5400 parts of mineral oil (100 Neutral, Sun Oil Co.) which is heated to 180°C with a N 2 purge. 1800 parts of a hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymer (Glissoviscal 5260, supplied by BASF) having a molecular weight determined by gel permeation chromatography of about 120,000 is added over 1.25 hours. The materials are mixed at 185-190°C for 2.75 hours with apparent complete solution. A 2-liter, 4-necked reaction flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, two addition funnels, and water cooled condenser is charged with 750 parts of the polymer-oil solution. Nitrogen is purged through the system by sweeping through the monomer addition funnel and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. The charge is heated to 155°C with a nitrogen purge introduced below the surface. 3.8 parts t-butyl peroxide and 13 parts 2-vinylpyridine are each dissolved in 13 part portions of xylene. Each xylene solution is then placed in a separate addition funnel on the reaction flask. Both solutions are added concurrently over 1.25 hours at 150-155°C. The reaction mixture is stirred at 155°C for 2.75 hours after addition is complete. A nitrogen purge beneath the liquid surface is maintained throughout the addition and heating periods. An additional 500 parts of mineral oil are added to the reaction mixture, and vola¬ tile components are removed by stripping to 155°C at 7 Torr. The stripped material is cooled to 135°C, then further diluted with 69 parts mineral oil after releasing the vacuum. The product is a clear, dark amber viscous liquid, containing 0.15 percent nitrogen by analysis. Example 3 A 5-liter flask is equipped with a water-cooled condenser, stirrer, thermometer, and two pressure-equalizing (sidearm) addition funnels, one for catalyst and the other for monomer addition. The flask is charged with 1500 parts of a polymer-oil solution prepared as in Example 2. Nitrogen is purged through the system by sweeping through the monomer addition funnel sidearm and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. The charge is heated to 95°C and 100 parts of toluene are added. A solution of 8 parts, 2,2'-azobis(methyl- butyronitrile) (VAZO 67, DuPont Company) in 50 parts toluene is prepared and transferred to one of the addition funnels. The second addition funnel is charged with 57 parts 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate. The meth¬ acrylate monomer and the bulk of the catalyst solutions are added concurrently over 1 hour at 95-97°C. The remaining catalyst is added over an additional 0.3 hours at 95°C. The reaction mixture is held at 95°C for 4 hours after addition is complete, then is stripped to 160°C at 4-5 Torr. The residue after stripping is further diluted with 2037 parts of an alkylated aromatic diluent (Heavy Alkylate, Wibarco) . The viscous yellow product contains 0.17% nitrogen by analysis. Example 4 A 2-liter flask, equipped with a stirrer, thermome¬ ter, water-cooled condenser and two addition funnels, is charged with 900 parts of a 7 percent by weight solution in mineral oil (100 Neutral, Sun Oil) of hydrogenated styrene-isoprene copolymer having a molecular weight measured by gel permeation chromatography of about 200,000 (Shellvis 40, Shell Chemical Company) prepared in essen¬ tially the same manner as the oil solution of Example 2. Nitrogen is purged through the system by sweeping through the monomer addition funnel and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. The charge is heated to 95°C followed by addition over 0.1 hour, with stirring, of 7.07 parts of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate followed by the dropwise addition of a solution of 0.903 parts of 2,2'-azobis-isobutyronitrile (VAZO 64 DuPont) in 28 parts toluene over 2 hours. After the addition of the catalyst is complete, the reaction mixture is stirred and heated for 2.5 hours at 95°C. The reaction product is stripped to 150°C at 1 Torr, followed by filtration through a mixture of diatomaceous earth filter aids. The product contains 0.033% nitrogen by Kjeldahl analysis, and about 0.1% by automatic nitrogen analysis (Carlo-Erba) . Theory nitrogen is about 0.06%. Example 5 A 5-liter reaction flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, addition funnels for catalyst and monomer addition, and a water cooled condenser is charged with 1500 parts of a polymer-oil solution prepared as in Example 2 and 100 parts toluene. Nitrogen is purged through the system by sweeping through the monomer addi¬ tion funnel and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. The charge is heated to 95-97°C followed by a concurrent addition of 38 parts 2-vin lpyridine and 8 parts 2,2'-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile) (VAZO 67, DuPont) in 50 parts toluene over 1 hour at 95-97°C until addition of the monomer solution is complete. Catalyst solution addition is continued for 0.5 hour while maintaining the reaction mixture at 97°C, followed by heating for 4.25 hours at 95-97°C. The reaction product is stripped to 160°C at 5 Torr and is diluted with 1896 parts alkylated aromatic diluent (Heavy Alkylate, Wibarco) . The product contains 0.17% nitrogen by analysis. Example 6 A 2-liter, 4-necked reaction flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, addition funnels, and water cooled condenser is charged with 750 parts of the polymer-oil solution of Example 2. Nitrogen is purged through the system by sweeping through the monomer addition funnel and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. The charge is heated to 155°C with a nitrogen purge introduced below the surface. 3.8 parts t-butyl peroxide and 19.3 parts 2-vinylpyridine are each dissolved in 20 part portions of xylene. Each xylene solution is then placed in a separate addition funnel on the reaction flask. Both solutions are added concurrently over 1.25 hours at 150-155°C. The reaction mixture is stirred at 155°C for 2.75 hours after addition is complete. A nitrogen purge beneath the liquid surface is maintained throughout the addition and heating periods. An additional 500 parts of mineral oil are added to the reaction mixture, and volatile components are removed by stripping to 150°C at 7 Torr. The stripped material is cooled, then further diluted with 100 parts mineral oil after releasing the vacuum. The product contains 0.17 percent nitrogen by analysis. Example 7 A 3-liter flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, addition funnels for catalyst and monomer, and a water cooled condenser is charged with 700 parts of a polymer-oil solution prepared according to the procedure of Example 2. The oil solution is heated to 95°C followed by addition of 50 parts toluene. A nitrogen purge is begun, proceeding as in the previous examples. 3.76 parts 2,2'-azobis(methyIbutyronitrile) is dissolved in 25 parts toluene. 14.5 parts l-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone and the bulk of the catalyst solution are added concurrently over 1.0 hour. The remainder of the catalyst solution is added over 0.3 hour, maintaining the temperature at 97-98°C. Heating is continued at 97°C for 3 hours, followed by stripping to 160°C at 5 Torr. The stripped residue is further diluted with 854 parts of an alkylated aromatic diluent (Heavy Alkylate, Wibarco) . The product contains 0.14% nitrogen by analysis. Example 8 A 2-liter flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, water cooled condenser and an addition funnel is charged with 900 parts of a 7% mineral oil (100 Neutral, Sun Oil) solution of a styrene-isoprene (Shellvis 40, Shell Chemi¬ cal Company) copolymer prepared in a similar fashion to Example 2. The oil solution is heated to 95°C while purging nitrogen through the system. 2-vinylpyridine (7 parts) is added dropwise over 0.25 hour at 95°C while purging nitrogen through the system by sweeping through the monomer addition funnel and thence to a subsurface purge tube in the reaction flask. A solution of 1 part 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (VAZO 64, DuPont) in 30 parts toluene is added dropwise at 95-97°C over 1 hour. Heating is continued at 95°C -for 0.5 hour followed by stripping to 125°C at 3 Torr. The residue contains 0.08% nitrogen by analysis. The products of this invention are useful as dispersant-viscosity improvers for lubricating oils. Depending on the particular nature of the vinyl nitrogen monomer, the graft copolymer may also provide additional benefits such as antioxidancy, corrosion inhibition, and the like. The lubricating oil compositions of this invention comprise a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity and a minor amount of the modified hydrocarbon based polymers of this invention. By a major amount is meant more than 50%. Thus, 51 percent, 80 percent and 99 percent are major amounts. A minor amount is less than 50 percent. Examples are 1 percent, 25 percent and 49 percent. The amount of additive used will, of course, depend in part on whether a product is prepared in a diluent and on the molecular weight of the polymer back¬ bone. The products are usually prepared as oil solutions to facilitate handling. The products of this invention are used in an effective amount to provide dispersant/viscosity improving properties to lubricating oils. Typically, on a neat chemical basis, the product is employed to provide from about 0.2 to about 10% by weight of the graft copolymer to the finished lubricating oil. More often, the product is used at about 0.4 to about 8%, preferrably from about 0.5 to about 6% by weight of the finished lubricating oil. When desired, the products can be prepared essentially diluent free in a device that provides mechanical working of the reaction mixture, such as in an extruder or masticator. The finished lubricating oils may be prepared by dissolving or suspending the product of this invention directly in the base oil along with any other additives which may be used. More often, the additive is a compo¬ nent of an additive concentrate which may contain other additives as well and which usually will contain an inert organic diluent. The lubricating compositions and methods of this invention employ an oil of lubricating viscosity, includ¬ ing natural or synthetic lubricating oils and mixtures thereof. Natural oils include animal oils and vegetable oils (e.g. castor oil, lard oil) as well as mineral lubricating oils such as liquid petroleum oils and solvent-treated or acid-treated mineral lubricating oils of the paraffinic, naphthenic or mixed paraffinic-naphthenic types. Oils of lubricating viscosity derived from coal or shale are also useful. Synthetic lubricating oils include hydrocarbon oils and halosubstituted hydrocarbon oils such as polymer¬ ized and interpolymerized olefins, etc. and mixtures thereof, alkylbenzenes, polyphenyl (e.g., biphenyls, terphenyls, alkylated polyphenyls, etc) , alkylated diphenyl ethers and alkylated diphenyl sulfides and the derivatives, analogs and homologs thereof and the like. Alkylene oxide polymers and interpolymers and deriva- tives thereof where the terminal hydroxyl groups have been modified by esterification, etherification, etc., consti- tute another class of known synthetic lubricating oils that can be used. Another suitable class of synthetic lubricating oils that can be used comprises the esters of dicarboxylic acids and those made from C_ to C. _ monocarboxylic acids and polyols and polyol ethers. Other synthetic lubricating oils include liquid esters of phosphorus-containing acids, polymeric tetrahydrofurans and the like, silicon-based oils such as the polyalkyl-, polyaryl-, polyalkoxy-, or polyaryloxy-siloxane oils and silicate oils. Unrefined, refined and rerefined oils, either natural or synthetic (as well as mixtures of two or more of any of these) of the type disclosed hereinabove can be used in the compositions of the present invention. Unrefined oils are those obtained directly from a natural or synthetic source without further purification treatment. Refined oils are similar to the unrefined oils except they have been further treated in one or more purification steps to improve one or more properties. Rerefined oils are obtained by processes similar to those used to obtain refined oils applied to refined oils which have been already used in service. Such rerefined oils often are additionally processed by techniques directed to removal of spent additives and oil breakdown products. Specific examples of the above-described oils of lubricating viscosity are given in Chamberlin III, U.S. 4,326,972 and European Patent Publication 107,282, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference for relevant disclosures contained therein. A basic, brief description of lubricant base oils appears in an article by D. V. Brock, "Lubrication Engi¬ neering", Volume 43, pages 184-5, March, 1987, which article is expressly incorporated by reference for rele- vant disclosures contained therein. Other Additives As mentioned, the compositions of this invention may contain other components. The use of such additives is optional and the presence thereof in the compositions of this invention will depend on the particular use and level of performance required. The compositions may . comprise a zinc salt of a dithiophosphoric acid. Zinc salts of dithiophosphoric acids are often referred to as zinc dithiophosphates, zinc 0,0-dihydrocarbyl dithiophosphates, and other commonly used names. They are sometimes re¬ ferred to by the abbreviation ZDP. One or more zinc salts of dithiophosphoric acids may be present in a minor amount to provide additional extreme pressure, anti-wear and anti-oxidancy performance. In addition to zinc salts of dithiophosphoric acids discussed hereinabove, other additives that may optionally be used in the lubricating oils of this invention include, for example, detergents, dispersants, viscosity improvers, other than the viscosity improvers of this invention, oxidation inhibiting agents, pour point depressing agents, extreme pressure agents, anti-wear agents, color stabiliz¬ ers and anti-foam agents. The above-mentioned dispersants and viscosity improvers are used in addition to the additives of this invention. Auxiliary extreme pressure agents and corrosion and oxidation inhibiting agents which may be included in the compositions of the invention are exemplified by chlori¬ nated aliphatic hydrocarbons, organic sulfides and polysulfides, phosphorus esters including dihydrocarbon and trihydrocarbon phosphites, molybdenum compounds, and the like. Viscosity improvers (also sometimes referred to as viscosity index improvers) may be included in the composi¬ tions of this invention. Viscosity improvers are usually polymers, including polyisobutenes, polymethacrylic acid esters, diene polymers, polyalkyl styrenes, alkenylarene-conjugated diene copolymers and polyolefins. Multifunctional viscosity improvers, other than those of the present invention, which also have dispersant and/or antioxidancy properties are known and may optionally be used in addition to the products of this invention. Such products are described in numerous publications including those mentioned in the Background of the Invention. Each of these publications is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. Pour point depressants are a particularly useful type of additive often included in the lubricating oils de¬ scribed herein. See for example, page 8 of "Lubricant Additives" by C. V. Smallheer and R. Kennedy Smith (Lezius-Hiles Company Publishers, Cleveland, Ohio, 1967) . Pour point depressants useful for the purpose of this invention, techniques for their preparation and their use are described in U.S. Patent numbers 2,387,501; 2,015,748; 2,655,479; 1,815,022; 2,191,498; 2,666,748; 2,721,877; 2,721,878; and 3,250,715 which are expressly incorporated by reference for their relevant disclosures. Anti-foam agents used to reduce or prevent the formation of stable foam include silicones or organic polymers. Examples of these and additional anti-foam compositions are described in "Foam Control Agents", by Henry T. Kerner (Noyes Data Corporation, 1976) , pages 125-162. Detergents and dispersants may be of the ash-producing or ashless type. The ash-producing deter¬ gents are exemplified by oil soluble neutral and basic salts of alkali or alkaline earth metals with sulfonic acids, carboxylic acids, phenols or organic phosphorus acids characterized by at least one direct carbon-to-phosphorus linkage. The term "basic salt" is used to designate metal salts wherein the metal is present in stoichiometrically larger amounts than the organic acid radical. Basic salts and techniques for preparing and using them are well know ' n to those skilled in the art and need not be discussed in detail here. Ashless detergents and dispersants are so-called despite the fact that, depending on its constitution, the detergent or dispersant may upon combustion yield a non-volatile residue such as boric oxide or phosphorus pentoxide; however, it does not ordinarily contain metal and therefore does not yield a metal-containing ash on combustion. Many types are known in the art, and any of them are suitable for use in the lubricants of this invention. The following are illustrative: (1) Reaction products of carbox lie acids (or derivatives thereof) containing at least about 34 and preferably at least about 54 carbon atoms with nitrogen containing compounds such as amine, organic hydroxy compounds such as phenols and alcohols, and/or basic inorganic materials. Examples of these "carboxylic dispersants" are described in British Patent number 1,306,529 and in many U.S. patents including the following: 3,163,603 3,381,022 3,542,680 3,184,474 3,399,141 3,567,637 3,215,707 3,415,750 3,574,101 3,219,666 3,433,744 3,576,743 3,271,310 3,444,170 3,630,904 3,272,746 3,448,048 3,632,510 3,281,357 3,448,σ49 3,632,511 3,306,908 3,451,933 3,697,428 3,311,558 3,454,607 3,725,441 3,316,177 3,467,668 4,194,886 3,340,281 3,501,405 4,234,435 3,341,542 3,522,179 4,491,527 3,346,493 3,541,012 RE 26,433 3,351,552 3,541,678 (2) Reaction products of relatively high molecular weight aliphatic or alicyclic halides with amines, prefer¬ ably polyalkylene polyamines. These may be characterized as "amine dispersants" and examples thereof are described for example, in the following U.S. patents: 3,275,554 3,454,555 3,438,757 3,565,804 (3) Reaction products of alkyl phenols in which the alkyl groups contains at least about 30 carbon atoms with aldehydes (especially formaldehyde) and amines (especially polyalkylene polyamines) , which may be characterized as "Mannich dispersants". The materials described in the following U.S. patents are illustrative: 3,413,347 3,725,480 3,697,574 3,726,882 3,725,277 (4) Products obtained by post-treating the carboxylic amine or Mannich dispersants with such reagents as urea, thiourea, carbon disulfide, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, hydrocarbon-substituted succinic anhydrides, nitriles, epoxides, boron compounds, phospho¬ rus compounds or the like. Exemplary materials of this kind are described in the following U.S. patents: 3,036,003 3,282,955 3,493,520 3,639,242 3,087,936 3,312,619 3,502,677 3,649,229 3,200,107 3,366,569 3,513,093 3,649,659 3,216,936 3,367,943 3,533,945 3,658,836 3,254,025 3,373,111 3,539,633 3,697,574 3,256,185 3,403,102 3,573,010 3,702,757 3,278,550 3,442,808 3,579,450 3,703,536 3,280,234 3,455,831 3,591,598 3,704,308 3,281,428 3,455,832 3,600,372 3,708,522 4,234,435 (5) Interpolymers of oil-solubilizing monomers such as decyl methacrylate, vinyl decyl ether and high molecu¬ lar weight olefins with monomers containing polar substituents, e.g., aminoalkyl acrylates or methacrylates, aσrylamides and poly-(oxyethylene)-substituted acrylates. These may be characterized as "polymeric dispersants" and examples thereof are disclosed in the following U.S. patents: 3,329,658 3,666,730 3,449,250 3,687,849 3,519,565 3,702,300 The above-noted patents are incorporated by reference herein for their disclosures of ashless dispersants. The above-illustrated additives may each be present in lubricating compositions at a concentration of as little as 0.001% by weight usually ranging from about 0.01% to about 20% by weight. In most instances, they each contribute from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight. The various additives described herein can be added directly to the lubricant. Preferably, however, they are diluted with a substantially inert, normally liquid organic diluent such as mineral oil, naphtha, benzene, toluene or xylene, to form an additive concentrate. These concentrates usually comprise about 0.1 to about 80% by weight of the compositions of this invention and may contain, in addition, one or more other additives known in the art or described hereinabove. Concentrations such as 15%, 20%, 30% or 50% or higher may be employed. The lubricating compositions of this invention are illustrated by the examples in the following Tables. The lubricating compositions are prepared by combining the specified ingredients, individually or from concentrates, in the indicated amounts and oil of lubricating viscosity to make the total 100 parts by weight. The amounts shown are parts by weight and, unless indicated otherwise, are amounts of chemical present on an oil-free basis. Thus, for example, an additive comprising 50% oil used at 10% by weight in a blend, provides 5% by weight of chemical. These examples are presented for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. While the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. TABLE I A series of engine lubricating oils is prepared by preparing a master blend consisting of a mineral oil base (CitCon stocks), 2.3 parts of a polyisobutylene-ethylene polyamine-polyol reaction product, 0.82 parts of a calcium overbased sulfonate, 0.83 parts of a zinc dialkyl- phosphorodithioate and 0.25 parts of a sulfurized Diels-Alder adduct, and adding thereto the following components: Component - Product 10 Example of Example: Weight Percent A 2 2.01 B 4 2.25 C 3 2.03 D 5 0.62 15 E 6 2.17 F 7 2.03 G 8 2.20 H 9 0.62 I 2 1.3 TABLE II - LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS Example K Reaction product: polyisobutenyl 0.94 5 succinic anhydride-ethylene polyamine Reaction product: polyisobutenyl 1.1 succinic anhydride-ethylene polyamine-polyol 10 Metal overbased sulfonate 0.45 0.45 1.37 Zinc dialkylphosphorodithioate 0.64 0.64 1.19 Calcium overbased sulfurized phenate 0.17 0.17 1.86 Neutral calcium sulfonate 0.08 0.08 Commercial ethylene-propylene 3.5 3.5 15 copolymer in oil Commercial polymethacrylate 0.4 pour point depressant Silicone Antifoam 10 ppm Product of Example 2 1.5 20 Product of Example 9 1.2 Product of Example 5 0.62 Mineral oil to bring total Exxon Exxon BP composition to 100 parts Stocks Stocks Stocks _T__A____B_L__E___-_I-__I-_I-_. A series of SAE 10W-30 engine lubricating oils is prepared by preparing a master blend consisting of a mineral oil base (Exxon stocks) , 0.94 parts of a polyisobutenyl succinic anhydride-ethylene polyamine reaction product, 1.16 parts of sulfurized alkyl phenol, 1.45 parts of zinc dialkylphosphorodithioate, 0.13 parts of alkylated diphenyl amine, 1.38 parts of overbased magnesium sulfonate, 0.6 parts of calcium over¬ based sulfonate and 10 ppm of silicone antifoam and adding thereto the following components: 10 Component - Product Example of Example: Weight Percent M 2 2.03 N 3 2.03 0 4 2.25 15 P 6 2.17 Q 7 2.03 R 8 2.20

Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A graft polymer, prepared by grafting onto an oil soluble or dispersible hydrocarbon polymer backbone, a free radical-polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer in the presence of a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent, capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain transfer, selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetra- meth lbenze e, 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene, mesitylene, tetralin, alkyl benzene bottoms, alkyl tetralins, alkyl naphthalenes and alkyl toluenes containing a total of from 1 to about 4 alkyl groups, wherein each alkyl group contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and the total number of carbon atoms in all alkyl groups does not exceed about 10, and phenyl substituted alkanes, wherein the alkane contains from 4 to about 16 carbons, and there are 2 or 3 phenyl substituents. 2. The graft polymer according to claim 1 wherein the backbone is an oil soluble or dispersible polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of a) hydrogenated homopolymers of conjugated dienes, b) hydrogenated copolymers of a conjugated diene with one or more olefins or other conjugated dienes, c) copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms, and d) hydrogenated lower olefin non-conjugated diene modified terpolymers. 3. The graft polymer of claim 1 wherein the back- bone is derived from monomers comprising conjugated dienes selected from the group consisting of 1,3,-butadiene and isoprene. 4. The graft polymer of claim 1 wherein the back- bone comprises b) a hydrogenated copolymer of a conjugated diene with an olefin, wherein the olefin is selected from the group consisting of styrene and methyl styrene. 5. The graft polymer of claim 1 wherein the back- bone comprises c) a hydrogenated copolymer of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms which is selected from the group consisting of Ziegler-Natta catalyzed copolymers of mixed aliphatic alpha-olefins and aliphatic alpha-olefin mixtures with styrene. 6. The graft polymer according to claim 1 wherein the free radical-polymerizable, vinyl nitrogen monomer is selected from the group consisting of vinyl pyridines, N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinylimidazole, N,N-dimethyl-aminoethylmethacrylate and the corresponding acrylate, N,N-dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide and the corresponding acrylamide, diacetone acrylamide, N-alkyl maleamic acids and esters thereof, 2-vinyl-l,3-thi- azolines, 2-vinyl-l,3-oxazolines, and 2-acrylamido-2- methyl-propane sulfonic acid. 7. The graft polymer according to claim 1 wherein the aromatic solvent is toluene or xylene. 8. A process for the preparation of a graft polymer, which process comprises reacting, at a temperature between about 80°C and 200°C, a free radical-polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer with an oil soluble or dispersible hydrocarbon polymer backbone in the presence of a catalytic amount of a free radical-generating reagent and a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent, capable of free-radical hydrogen atom chain-transfer, selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene, mesitylene, tetralin, alkyl benzene bottoms, alkyl tetralins, alkyl naphthalenes and alkyl toluenes containing a total of from 1 to about 4 alkyl groups, wherein each alkyl group contains from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and the total number of carbon atoms in all alkyl groups does not exceed about 10, and phenyl substituted alkanes, wherein the alkane contains from 4 to about 16 carbons, and there are 2 or 3 phenyl substituents. 9. The process according to claim 8 wherein the hydrocarbon polymer backbone is an oil soluble or dispers- ible polymer or copolymer selected from the group consist- ing of a) hydrogenated homopolymers of conjugated dienes, b) hydrogenated copolymers of a conjugated diene with one or more olefins or other conjugated dienes, c) copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms, and d) hydrogenated lower olefin-diene modified terpolymers. 10. The process according to claim 9 wherein the hydrocarbon polymer is derived from monomers comprising conjugated dienes selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butadiene ' and isoprene. 11. The process according to claim 9 wherein the hydrocarbon copolymer comprises b) a hydrogenated copolymer of a conjugated diene with an olefin, wherein the olefin is selected from the group consisting of styrene and methyl styrene. 12. The process of claim 9 wherein c) the hydrocar- bon copolymer comprises a copolymer of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms, which is selected from the group consisting of Ziegler-Natta copolymers of mixed aliphatic alpha-olefins, and aliphatic alpha-olefin mixtures with styrene. 13. The process according to claim 8 wherein the free radical-polymerizable, vinyl nitrogen monomer is selected from the group consisting of vinyl pyridines, N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinyl imidazole, N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and the corresponding acrylate, and N,N-dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide and the corresponding acrylamide, and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid. 14. The process according to claim 9 wherein the aromatic solvent is toluene or xylene. 15. The process according to claim 8 wherein the hydrocarbon polymer is a styrene-diene copolymer and the free radical-generating reagent is an azo-group containing polymerization initiator. 16. A lubricating oil additive prepared by a process comprising reacting at a temperature between about 80°C and 200°C, a free radical-polymerizable vinyl nitrogen monomer with a hydrocarbon polymer in the presence of a catalytic amount of a free radical-generating reagent and a minor amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon-substituted aromatic solvent capable of free radical hydrogen atom chain-transfer, selected from the group consisting of toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, tetralin, alkyl benzene bottoms, alkyl tetralins, alkyl naphthalenes and alkyl toluenes, wherein the alkyl group contains from about 6 to about 18 carbon atoms, and phenyl substituted alkanes, wherein the alkane contains from 4 to about 16 carbons, and there are 2 or 3 phenyl substituents. 17. The lubricating oil additive of claim 16 wherein the hydrocarbon polymer is an oil soluble or dispersible polymer or a copolymer selected from the group consisting of ' a) hydrogenated homopolymers of conjugated dienes, b) hydrogenated copolymers of a conjugated diene with one or more olefins or other conjugated dienes, cl copolymers of alpha-olefins having from 2 to about 18 carbon atoms, and d) hydrogenated lower olefin non-conjugated diene modified terpolymers. 18. A concentrate for formulating lubricating compositions comprising a normally liquid, substantially inert organic solvent/diluent and from about 0.1 to about 80% by weight of the graft polymer described in claim 1. 19. A concentrate for formulating lubricating compositions comprising a normally liquid, substantially inert organic solvent/diluent and from about 0.1 to about 80% by weight of the lubricating oil additive described in claim 16. 20. A lubricating composition comprising a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity and a minor amount of the lubricating oil additive of claim 16. 21. A lubricating composition comprising a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity and a minor amount of the graft polymer according to claim 1. 22. A lubricating composition comprising a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity and a minor amount of the graft polymer according to claim 3.

Inventors: LANGE RICHARD M, LUCIANI CARMEN V, LANGE, RICHARD, M., LUCIANI, CARMEN, V.
Applicants: LUBRIZOL CORP, THE LUBRIZOL CORPORATION
Application year: 1990
Main classification: C10M151
IPC codes: C08F255, C08F279, C08F291, C10M149, C10M151, C10N30, C10N40, C10N70