Patent ID: 7348391

Claim:
A process of making a polymeric bead comprising: (a) providing an organic phase; and (b) contacting said organic phase with an aqueous phase, under conditions of time, temperature and pressure effective to form the polymeric bead, wherein said organic phase comprises the olefin monomer styrene, a cross-linking monomer, a functionalizing monomer that is an acetoxystyrene, an initiator, an organic solvent; wherein said organic solvent comprises one or more liquid hydrocarbons; and/or an alcohol having from five to twelve carbon atoms; said aqueous phase comprises water and a dispersing reagent; and wherein the percentage by weight of the olefin monomer styrene initially present in total monomers is from about 60% to about 96%; the percentage by weight of cross-linking monomer initially present in total monomers is from about 3% to 9.9%; the percentage by weight of the functionalizing monomer initially present in total monomers is from about 1% to about 20%; the percentage by weight of monomers initially present in the organic phase is from about 33% to about 67%; the percentage by weight of the organic solvent initially present in the organic phase is from about 33% to about 67%; the percentage by weight of liquid hydrocarbon present in the organic solvent is from about 0% to about 80%; the percentage by weight of an alcohol having from five to twelve carbon atoms initially present in the organic solvent is from about 20% to about 100%; and the percentage by weight of the dispersing reagent initially present in the aqueous phase is from about 0.01% to about 20%.