The present invention provides a process for preparing a
fluorine-containing elastomer in a high productivity comparable to that
of non-iodine transfer polymerization process by carrying out an iodine
transfer polymerization at high pressure. The present invention also
provides a fluorine-containing elastomer prepared by this process, and
fluorine-containing molded articles. The process is a batch
copolymerization process conducted under conditions that the reduced
temperature of the critical constant is at least 0.95 and the reduced
pressure of the critical constant is at least 0.80 wherein the reduced
temperature and the reduced pressure are calculated using the
Peng-Robinson formula from the critical temperature, the critical
pressure and the composition ratio of each of the monomers in the gaseous
phase in a reaction vessel, in which ethylenically unsaturated compounds
containing at least one fluoroolefine are copolymerized in the presence
of a compound having the formula: R.sub.f.sup.1.I.sub.x wherein
R.sub.f.sup.1 is a saturated or unsaturated fluorohydrocarbon or
chlorofluorohydrocarbon group having 1 to 16 carbon atoms, and x is the
number of bonds of R.sub.f.sup.1 and an integer of 1 to 4.