Patent ID: 8466243

Claim:
A vinyl alcohol copolymer resin consisting essentially of recurring units I, II and III, wherein: R 1 is present or absent and if present is C 1 -C 20 alkylene, C 4 -C 8 cycloalkylene, C 4 -C 8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, heteroarylene, or —C(═O)—NH—R 2 —; R 2 is C 1 -C 10 alkylene, C 4 -C 8 cycloalkylene, C 4 -C 8 heterocycloalkylene, arylene, alkylarylene, heteroarylene, or alkylheteroarylene; and M is a cationic counterion or hydrogen; and wherein: recurring unit I is present in the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent; recurring unit II is present in the resin in an amount of from about 75 to about 98 mole percent; and recurring unit III is present in an amount of from about 1 to about 20 mole percent; wherein the vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is characterized by a substantial absence of compositional drift as determined by 13 C NMR spectroscopy.