Patent ID: 7071327

Claim:
A process for producing a crosslinked flexible superabsorbent polysaccharide, comprising reacting a polyalkyleneglycol with at least two equivalents of a reagent containing one or more activated double bonds selected from the group consisting of divinyl sulphone, maleic anhydride, dichloroacetone, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, dimethylolurea, dimethylolimidazolidone, diexpoides, epichlorohydrin, diisocyanates, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) sulphone, formaldehyde, and glyoxal, to form a crosslinking spacer having a chain length of at least 9 chain atoms and having terminal activated coupling groups and reacting at least 1% by weight of the crosslinking spacer with a polysaceharide or a derivative thereof selected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl, alkyl, hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl derivatives in the presence of a catalyst.