Dehydrochlorination of Poly(viny1 Chloride) in Pyridine. III. Thermal and Mechanical Properties

The thermal properties of dehydrochlorinated PVC (DHPVC) were evaluated. From thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), a larger decrease in thermal stability of dehydrochlorinated PVC than of PVC was observed. Thermal stability of DHPVC increased continuously with an increase in dehydrochlorination temperature and dilution of the reaction solution during dehydrochlorination. However, with an increase in dehydrochlorination time, an increase in thermal stability after an initial drop was obtained. The highly cross-linked product separated from the reaction solution at higher dehydrochlorination temperatures showed a lower thermal stability than that of corresponding soluble DHPVC. The stress-strain behavior of dehydrochlorinated PVC samples was also studied.     

Degradation of chlorinated polyethylene. I. Effect of antimony oxide on the rate of dehydrochlorination

The degradation of two chlorinated polyethylene compounds CPE 25 (45% chlorine) and CPE 16 (36% chlorine) was studied by following their rates of dehydrochlorination at two temperatures, 150°C and 180°C in pure nitrogen and pure oxygen atmospheres. Studies on the powdered polymers showed that the dehydrochlorination rate of CPE 25 is about fourteen times faster than that of CPE 16 in nitrogen atmospheres and only three to four times faster in oxygen. The molded polymers gave a lower rate of dehydrochlorination than when in the powdered form. This effect is attributed to diffusion factors. The antimony oxide brought about an induction period in the dehydrochlorination reaction during which only a small amount of HCl is evolved, followed by a very fast rate of dehydrochlorination both in oxygen and nitrogen atmospheres. The duration of the induction period increases with increase in the Sb₂O₃ concentration, but is followed by an accelerated HCl loss which is faster when Sb₂O₃ concentration is higher. This work provides supporting evidence that SbCl₃ was formed and lost during degradation. Mechanisms of dehydrochlorination are suggested for the reaction in the case of pure chlorinated polyethylene and for the polymer containing antimony oxide.     

Dehydrochlorination of monodisperse poly(vinylidene chloride) latex

The objective of the work described in this paper was to produce dispersions of small spherical carbon particles, having particle diameters in the region of 0.1 μm. To this end, the dehydrochlorination of poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC) latex particles was attempted. The PVDC latex was prepared by a dispersion polymerization route. Both chemical and thermal dehydrochlorination routes were attempted. Chemical dehydrochlorination, using a variety of base/solvent systems, led to nonporous, spherical black particles of the required size, but which contained only 60% carbon; most of the remainder was oxygen, introduced by nucleophilic substitution reactions. Thermal dehydrochlorination, at 700°C under a nitrogen atmosphere, using a fluidized bed arrangement, on the other hand, led to black particles, having 90% carbon and which retained their sphericity, but which were highly porous. Initial chemical dehydrochlorination, prior to thermal treatment, did not seem to reduce the porosity of the final carbons. Dispersions of the carbon particles in a variety of solvents were readily achieved.     

Thermal degradation of polymer-fire retardant mixtures—Part II: Mechanism of interaction in polypropylene-chlorinated paraffin mixtures

The thermal degradation of polypropylene is accelerated when it is heated in mixtures with a fire retardant chlorinated paraffin (Cl 70%) whose dehydrochlorination rate is simultaneously reduced.The mechanism proposed to account for this behaviour involves the attack of the chlorine atoms, which propagate the dehydrochlorination reaction, on the tertiary hydrogen atoms of polypropylene with formation of HCl. The kinetic chain length of the dehydrochlorination is decreased and the rate of evolution of HCl is lowered, while the radicals formed on the polypropylene chain lead to its scission and volatilisation.The effects of these reactions on the fire retardant performance of the mixture are discussed.     

Kinetics of the dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) in the presence of NaOH and various diols as solvents

The dehydrochlorination of PVC in the presence of NaOH was investigated in different diols. Diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), and propylene glycol (PG) were found to be effective in accelerating the dechlorination of PVC. The dehydrochlorination was promoted in the order TEG > DEG > PG, which was in agreement with the compatibility between PET and the diol. Compatibility resulted in an improved penetration of the PVC particle by the solvent, leading to the acceleration of the dehydrochlorination. The dehydrochlorination of PVC in NaOH/diol followed first-order kinetics, confirming the progress of the reaction under chemical reaction control. The apparent activation energies were 82 kJ mol⁻¹, 109 kJ mol⁻¹, and 151 kJ mol⁻¹ for TEG, DEG, and PG, respectively. The lower the activation energy became the faster the dehydrochlorination of PVC proceeded.     

Heat Degradation of PVC Stabilized by Treatment with Alkylaluminum Compounds

Thermal degradation of PVC treated with alkylaluminum compounds has been studied. Four PVC samples of different molecular weights have been treated with Me₃Al, and Et₃A₁, and the dehydrochlorination rates of the polymers were determined at 190 and 220°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The alkylaluminum-treated low molecular weight samples show marked increase in thermal stability, i. e., slower rate of dehydrochlorination right from the beginning of degradation, whereas with the higher molecular weight samples stabilization becomes pronounced only after a few percent of dehydrochlorination. The color of R₃Al-treated samples was much lighter (yellowish) than those of controls (dark brown) at 1% HCl loss. The average polyene sequence lengths formed during the early stages of dehydrochlorination are found to be much shorter with RsAl-treated PVC than with virgin samples. It appears as though polyene sequences which arose by zipping- initiation from allylic and/or tertiary chlorine sites are longer than those which form by random initiation along the chain. The autocatalytic (i. e., HC1-catalyzed) dehydrochlorination observed with virgin PVC disappears after treatment with R3A1. The HCl-catalyzed dehydrochlorination is minimized when thin films are used instead of powdery samples, which may be due to higher rates of HC1 diffusion through thin films. Autocatalysis of dehydrochlorination is affected by the concentrations of double bonds and HCl and the length of polyene sequences. Interaction between polyenes and HC1 by hydrogen transfer may lead to the re-initiation of unzipping, thus lengthening the polyene sequences.     

Effect of ozone on poly(vinyl chloride) degradation

The influence of ozone on the kinetics and mechanisms of poly(vinyl chloride) degradation has been studied. The rate constants for reaction of ozone with saturated and unsaturated units of macromolecules have been measured. The products of the reaction of ozone with double bonds are inactive and do not influence the subsequent thermal dehydrochlorination of the polymer. The products of reaction of ozone with saturated units greatly increase dehydrochlorination.     

Dehydrochlorination of Poly(vinyl Chloride) in Pyridine. 1. Effect of Conditions

Poly(viny1 chloride) (PVC) was dehydrochlorinated thermally in pyridine solution under N₂ atmosphere and the effect of variation of reaction time, temperature, and concentration of PVC in pyridine was studied. The extent of dehydrochlorination (or conversion, x%) increases with an increase in reaction time and temperature, and with a decrease in the concentration of PVC. Incomplete precipitation of dehydrochlorinated PVC (DHPVC) occurs by nonsolvent (methanol). During dehydrochlorination there is no HCl evolution as it forms a pyridine hydrochloride complex which is supposed to act as a catalyst for dehydrochlorination. A possible mechanism has been proposed. Chain scission and cross-linking reactions are responsible for the molecular weight changes that take place during the reaction.     

氯化天然橡胶的等速升温热降解动力学

天然胶乳;氯化天然橡胶的等速升温热降解动力学     

The thermal degradation of polychloroprene-III degradation of polychloroprene/poly(methyl methacrylate) mixtures

The mechanism of dehydrochlorination has been studied by examining the degradation of polychloroprene/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends, using thermal volatilization analysis and infrared spectroscopy; the behaviour has been compared with that previously found for PVC/PMMA blends. Unlike the latter system, the polychloroprene blends did not show any increased production of methyl methacrylate monomer in the early stages of breakdown. The stabilization effect on PMMA due to reaction of ester groups with hydrogen chloride, on the other hand, is much more evident in the case of polychloroprene blends than for PVC, PVC dehydrochlorination is retarded by the presence of PMMA, but evolution of hydrogen chloride from polychloroprene is unaffected to any significant extent. It is concluded that the dehydrochlorination of polychloroprene is not a radical chain process. A unimolecular mechanism is suggested.     

Cyclopentadienylation of PVC: Characterization and thermal and thermooxidative degradation studies

PVC has been cyclopentadienylated by two conventional basic, LiCp and NaCp, and a new acidic, Me₂CpAl, cyclopentadienylating agent. PVCs treated with basic cyclopentadienylating agents undergo severe random dehydrochlorination and exhibit a significant decrease in thermal and thermooxidative stability. In contrast, according to ozonization and degradation experiments, Me₂CpAl does not cause dehydrochlorination during cyclopentadienylation. The thermal stability of PVC treated with relatively high concentrations of Me₂CpAl and Me₃Al at 25°C markedly increases due to substitution of labile chlorines in PVC with methyl groups. Initial thermal dehydrochlorination behavior of virgin PVC and samples treated with Me₂CpAl at ?30°C are similar. In contrast, thermooxidative stability decreases on Me₂CpAl treatment at ?30°C; this is attributed to ease of oxidation of pendant cyclopentadienyl groups; that is, the formation of peroxy radicals that may initiate dehydrochlorination by attacking unchanged repeat units in PVC. Acceleration of thermal dehydrochlorination disappears and the length of polyene sequences is reduced on Me₂CpAl and Me₃Al treatment. These observations are attributed to differences in rates of protonation-deprotonation; that is, rates of reinitation of zipping of treated and untreated PVCs during thermal degration. The effect of traces of aluminum residues on degradation of modified PVCs, however, cannot be neglected.     

The simplest mathematical model of the process of the thermal dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride)

The dehydrochlorination of PVC under vacuum (～ 10^?4 mm Hg), with continuous removal of volatile products by freezing out, has been studied at 180–250°. The equation has been deduced and solved to describe the thermal degradation of PVC. The rate constants of separate steps of polymer dehydrochlorination and the dependence of concentrations of polyenes on time of degradation are calculated.     

Degradation of vinylidene chloride/phenylacetylene (VDC/PA) copolymers. Effect of internal unsaturation on poly(vinylidene chloride) stability

The thermal degradation of vinylidene chloride/phenylacetylene copolymers containing small but varying amounts of phenylacetylene has been examined in both the solid phase and in bibenzyl solution. Incorporation of phenylacetylene into the poly(vinylidene chloride) structure greatly facilitates degradative dehydrochlorination. Indeed, the presence of phenylacetylene promotes the formation of polyene segments during the polymerization process so that all the copolymers, even at very low phenylacetylene loading, are tan in color. The decreased stability of polymers containing interal unsaturation arises from an increased rate of initiation for degradative dehydrochlorination. The propagation rate is largely unaffected by the level of unsaturation initially present in the polymer. The ratio of hydrogen chloride to stilbene formed for degradation of these copolymers in bibenzyl solution is approximately 35:1. This suggests that the chlorine atom of the initially-formed radical pair preferentially abstracts an adjacent hydrogen atom rather than interacting with solvent, i.e., the chain-carrying radical pair does not dissociate appreciably as the unzipping dehydrochlorination occurs. Thus random double bonds introduced in a variety of ways may be identified as principal defect sites responsible for the initiation of the degradative dehydrochlorination of poly(vinylidene chloride). Species which promote the degradation of poly(vinylidene chloride) probably do so by facilitating the introduction of random double bonds into the structure.     

Studies on the kinetics of dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) in solution induced by a weak base

Kinetics of dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), induced by a weak base such as ammonium hydroxide or n-butylamine (n.BA) in cyclohexanone solution, were studied by following the disappearance of NH₄OH or n.BA on reacting with the HCl liberated. An overall kinetic scheme was considered and the rate constants of dehydrochlorination under various sets of conditions determined. The initial rate constants (k₁) of dehydrochlorination at 40°C induced by NH₄OH or n.BA are very close (3.10 × 10⁻³ l mol⁻¹ min⁻¹) indicating that NH₄OH and n.BA are comparable in their capacity to induce dehydrochlorination of PVC in solution.     

Photodehydrochlorination of carbon monoxide–vinyl chloride copolymer

In order to examine effect of the carbonyl group in carbon monoxide–vinyl chloride copolymer, poly(CO–VC), photoirradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp on the copolymer was carried out. Poly(CO–VC) had a rate of dehydrochlorination three times that of PVC, and the reaction involved a decrease in chlorine content. Also there was a marked change in the ultraviolet spectra of the photoirradiated films. However, no pronounced change of molecular weight was observed, but a change in R_f in TLC was observed clearly. These facts confirmed that photoirradiation of poly(CO–VC) produced a structural change by dehydrochlorination without serious decrease of molecular weight. In addition, photodehydrochlorination of the copolymer or PVC film was followed kinetically, and after ozonolysis of the dehydrochlorinated polymers, the number-average molecular weights were measured. From the results of degree of dehydrochlorination and molecular weight, the number average of conjugated double bonds or carbonyl groups was estimated. A mechanism for dehydrochlorination process by photo-irradiation is suggested.     

Characterization of polychloroprenes and cationically modified polychloroprenes by thermal dehydrochlorination

Thermal dehydrochlorination of polychloroprenes and modified polychloroprenes was studied and was found to be rapid, readily reproducible, and reliable for the characterization of these rubbers. The rates of thermal dehydrochlorination of polychloroprenes and modified polychloroprenes are first order at 190°C under nitrogen. Significantly, the plot of dehydrochlorination rate (V_HCl) versus dehydrochlorination extent (ζHCl) for polychloroprenes shows three regions. These data may be attributed to three dehydrochlorination regimes associated with four contributing repeat structures that have been identified by ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy: In contrast to polychloroprene, V_HCl vs. ζ_HCl plots for modified (cyclopentadienylated and grafted) polychloroprenes, i.e., polychloroprenes that do not contain allylic chlorines, exhibit only one region suggesting only one dehydrochlorination mechanism in these materials. The slopes of the V_HCl vs. ζ_HCl plots of the modified polychloroprenes are virtually identical. Moreover, the slopes of the V_HCl vs. ζ_HCl plots for modified polychloroprenes and that of the latest of the three regions for unmodified polychloroprene are indistinguishable. This similarity in the V_HCl vs. ζ_HCl curves suggests dehydrochlorination by a fundamentally similar mechanism in these materials, most likely one involving the ? CH₂? C(Cl)?CH? CH₂? structure common to all of them. Concentration of labile chlorines in polychloroprene may be estimated by the differences in the dehydrochlorination kinetics of polychloroprene and modified polychloroprenes.     

Thermal Degradation of Polyvinyl Chloride

The thermal degradation of a sort of polyvinyl chloride was investigated. Complex processes for polyvinyl chloride degradation were evidenced. The kinetic analysis of dehydrochlorination and of subsequent processes was carried out. A change of mechanism was detected when dehydrochlorination goes to completion. The values of non-isothermal kinetic parameters determined by various methods are in a satisfactory agreement. The obtained results allowed some clarifications concerning the thermal degradation steps. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mechanism of the thermal dehydrochlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) models in the liquid phase

The thermal dehydrochlorination of model compounds of PVC has been investigated in the liquid phase in an inert atmosphere. Electrophilic catalysis and the effect of various solvents on this reaction have been studied. It has been found that the electron-accepting power of the reaction medium is the decisive rate-determining factor, while the dielectric constant comes second. A mechanism of thermal dehydrochlorination has been suggested, in which a reaction between the substrate and the proton giving rise to the carbonium ion is the rate-determining step for the whole process.     

Photodegradation and photo-oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride) in solution

Quantum yields of dehydrochlorination and of main chain scission were determined for photolysis of PVC in solution in tetrahydrofuran and 1,2-dichloroethane. The observed auto-accelerated degradation results from an increased absorption of light by the growing polyene structures. The presence of oxygen enhances the efficiency of dehydrochlorination, chain scission and crosslinking processes. From the constant quantum yields, it is inferred that energy transfer occurs from the absorbing polyenes and that initially present unsaturations are responsible for initiation of the degradation.     

Thermal stability of graft modifications of PVC and related materials

The grafting of polyisobutylene and polybutadiene onto PVC by use of alkylaluminum compounds gives graft copolymers which are superior in thermal stability to unmodified PVC as determined by dehydrochlorination measurements at a low degree of decomposition. The alkylation of toluene with PVC also exhibits high heat stability. The improved thermal stability observed for the modified samples is ascribed to the existence of an induction period and/or lower dehydrochlorination rates. PVC grafted with polybutadiene in the absence of cobalt cocatalyst exhibits autocatalytic behavior and is less stable than the unmodified PVC.