Golf ball cores formed from unsaturated organic imide co-curing agents

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core formed from a composition comprising a metal salt of an unsaturated organic acid and at least one co-curing agent comprising an unsaturated organic imide or a metallic derivative thereof selected from the group consisting of 1,1′-(methylenedi-4,1-phenylene) bismaleimide; N,N′-(1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diyl) bismaleimide; 1,1′-(3,3′-dimethyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diyl) bismaleimide; N,N′ethylenedimaleimide; N,N′hexamethylenedimaleimide; N,N′-decamethylenedimaleimide, N,N′-dodecamethylenedimaleimide; N,N′-oxydipropylenedimaleimide, ethylenedioxy bis(N-propylmaleimide); N,N′-metaphenylenedimaleimide; N,N′-paraphenylenedimaleimide; N,N′-oxy(diparaphenylene) dimaleimide; N,N′-methylene(diaparaphenylene)dimaleimide; N,N′ethylene(diparaphenylene)dimaleimide; N,N′-sulfo(diparaphenylene)-dimaleimide; N,N′-metaphenylene-bis(paraoxphenylene)dimaleimide; N,N′-methylene(di-1,4-cyclohexylene)-dimaleimide; N,N′-isopropylidene(di-1,4-cyclohexene)dimaleimide; 2,5-oxadiazolylenedimaleimide; N,N′-paraphenylene(dimethylene) dimaleimide; N,N′-2-methylparatolulene dimaleimide; N,N′-hexamethylenedicitraconimide; N,N′-thio(diphenylene)dicitraconimide; N,N′-methylene(diparaphenylene)-bis-(chloromaleimide); and N,N′-hexamethylenebis(cyanomethylmaleimide); and

a cover layer,

wherein the metal salt of an unsaturated organic acid is present in an amount between about 10 pph and about 25 pph and the composition further comprises a halogenated di-tertiary alkyl peroxide comprising C 1 -C 8 alkyl groups, aromatic groups, thiol groups, carboxyl groups, sulfonate groups, or hydrogen.

2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises an unsaturated organic imide is described by the structure:

where R is an aromatic or aliphatic, straight-chain or cyclic, alkyl group.

3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core has a compression and a coefficient of restitution and the unsaturated imide or metallic derivative thereof is present in an amount sufficient to increase the compression and the coefficient of restitution.

4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core has a compression and a coefficient of restitution and the unsaturated imide or metallic derivative thereof is present in an amount sufficient to increase the compression without changing the coefficient of restitution.

5. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a halogenated organosulfur compound or a metal salt thereof.

6. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound comprises pentafluorothiophenol; 2-fluorothiophenol; 3-fluorothiophenol; 4-fluorothiophenol; 2,3-fluorothiophenol; 2,4-fluorothiophenol; 3,4-fluorothiophenol; 3,5-fluorothiophenol 2,3,4-fluorothiophenol; 3,4,5-fluorothiophenol; 2,3,4,5-tetrafluorothiophenol; 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorothiophenol; 4-chlorotetrafluorothiophenol; pentachlorothiophenol; 2-chlorothiophenol; 3-chlorothiophenol; 4-chlorothiophenol; 2,3-chlorothiophenol; 2,4-chlorothiophenol; 3,4-chlorothiophenol; 3,5-chlorothiophenol; 2,3,4-chlorothiophenol; 3,4,5-chlorothiophenol; 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorothiophenol; 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorothiophenol; pentabromothiophenol; 2-bromothiophenol; 3-bromothiophenol; 4-bromothiophenol; 2,3-bromothiophenol; 2,4-bromothiophenol; 3,4-bromothiophenol; 3,5-bromothiophenol; 2,3,4-bromothiophenol; 3,4,5-bromothiophenol; 2,3,4,5-tetrabromothiophenol; 2,3,5,6-tetrabromothiophenol; pentaiodothiophenol; 2-iodothiophenol; 3-iodothiophenol; 4-iodothiophenol; 2,3-iodothiophenol; 2,4-iodothiophenol; 3,4-iodothiophenol; 3,5-iodothiophenol; 2,3,4-iodothiophenol; 3,4,5-iodothiophenol; 2,3,4,5-tetraiodothiophenol; 2,3,5,6-tetraiodothiophenoland; or metal salts thereof.

7. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound is pentachlorothiophenol or the metal salt thereof, wherein the metal salt is selected from the group consisting of zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and lithium.

8. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound or a metal salt thereof is present in an amount of less than about 2 pph.

9. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound or a metal salt thereof is present in an amount of greater than about 2.3 pph.

10. The golf ball of claim 9 , wherein the halogenated organosulfur compound or a metal salt thereof is present in an amount of greater than about 6 pph.

11. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core has a coefficient of restitution and a compression and the co-curing agent is present in an amount sufficient to increase the compression by at least about 5 points while decreasing the coefficient of restitution.

12. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises an outer core layer and a center having an outer diameter between about 0.5 inches and about 1.25 inches.

13. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the core has an outer diameter between about 1.52 inches and about 1.61 inches.

14. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer.

15. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the inner or outer cover layers have a thickness of less than about 0.05 inches.

16. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the inner or outer cover layers comprises ionomers, vinyl resins, polyolefins, polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurethane-ureas, polyurea-urethanes, polyamides, acrylic resins, thermoplastics, polyphenylene oxide resins, thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic rubbers, fully-neutralized polymers, partially-neutralized polymers, and mixtures thereof.

17. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the outer cover layer is formed from a castable reactive liquid material.

18. The golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the castable reactive liquid material comprises a polyurethane or polyurea.

19. The golf ball of claim 18 , wherein the polyurethane or polyurea composition is light stable.

20. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the halogenated peroxide comprises Cl, F, Br, or I.