Patent ID: 7056967

Claim:
A polyethylene composition having improved scorch resistance consisting essentially of (a) a polyethylene (b) a scorch inhibitor having a melting point below 50° C. at atmospheric pressure and is a compound of the formula I wherein R 1 is C 1-20 alkyl or C 1-20 alkyl which is substituted by phenyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 3-20 alkynyl, C 5-9 cycloalkyl, phenyl or tolyl; R 2 and R 3 each independently of the other are C 1-20 alkyl; C 1-20 alkyl substituted by phenyl, cyano, formyl, acetyl, one or two hydroxyl groups, by a group —O—COR 5 wherein R 5 is C 1-20 alkyl; C 2-20 alkenyl; C 3-20 alkynyl; C 5-7 cycloalkyl; C 5-7 cycloalkyl substituted by hydroxyl; phenyl; 4-chlorophenyl; 2-methoxycarbonylphenyl; p-tolyl; 1,3-benzthiazol-2-yl or a group —(CHR 6 ) n COOR 7 or —(CHR 6 ) n CONR 8 R 9 wherein n is 1 or 2, R 6 is hydrogen or C 1-6 alkyl, R 7 is C 1-20 alkyl, C 1-20 alkyl which is interrupted by one to five O or S, C 5-7 cycloalkyl, phenyl, benzyl or tolyl, R 8 and R 9 are hydrogen or C 1-6 alkyl; R 4 is hydrogen or methyl and (c) an organic peroxide; which composition can be extruded with a minimum of premature crosslinking yet possess a sufficient crosslinking speed.