The ozonolysis of butyl and halobutyl elastomers

The ozonolysis of butyl elastomer and its halogenated derivatives, as well as their model compounds in hexane, was studied. It was found that while the ozonolysis of butyl and chlorobutyl elastomers involves the normal cleavage of olefinic double bonds, the mechanism of ozonolysis of bromobutyl elastomer is more complicated. In the presence of ozone, bromobutyl elastomer was found to rearrange from the exomethylene structure to the bromomethyl structure, thereby generating more in-chain double bonds. This reaction provides an explanation as to why bromobutyl elastomer degrades faster and to a greater extent than chlorobutyl elastomer containing the same number of olefinic double bonds. Different additives were found to have different effects on the chain scission and rearrangement of bromobutyl elastomer. Diphenylamine and triisopropyl phosphite are much more effective than hexylamine and 2,6-di-tert-butyl cresol in inhibiting the chain scission of the bromobutyl elastomer and diphenylamine is more effective than triisopropyl phosphite in suppressing the rearrangement of this elastomer     

FTIR study of gamma-irradiated cis-1,4-polyisoprene

The effect of γ-irradiation on the structure and oxidation of cis-1,4-polyisoprene is investigated by ATR-FTIR technique. This method provides the valuable insight into the type of oxidation products produced and the extent and nature of intramolecular cyclization and chain scission reactions. The formation of ketones, alcohols and/or ethers, and hydroperoxides is apparent already at small doses of γ-radiation and it increases with the exposure time significantly. At the highest dose of 309 kGy a decrease in the intensity of C=O stretching mode of ketones (1717 cm⁻¹) was observed while the overall area of the band remained the same as in the case of 188 kGy dose. The shoulders observed at 1740 cm⁻¹ and 1772 cm⁻¹ could be assigned to C=O stretching frequency of esters and five-membered-ring lactones, respectively. Higher doses of γ-radiation also cause the formation of two relatively strong bands in the region of conjugated double bonds. These could origin from the aromatic products or cycloenes with one double bond formed by cyclization and chain scission processes.     

Oxidative stress relaxation and the measurement of sol fraction in rubber vulcanizates

A simple method to determine the chain scission mechanism of the oxidative degradation of rubber vulcanizates is proposed. The method involves the measurement of oxidative stress decay and the change in sol fraction, which allow us to distinguish whether scission occurs randomly along the main chain, near crosslinks or of crosslinks. The applicability of this method was well established using natural rubber vulcanizates as the reference samples. The chain scission of cis-1,4-polyisoprene vulcanizaties was proved to take place randomly along the main chain irrespective of their crosslink structure. On the other hand, the chain scission of dicumyl peroxide cured cis-1,4-polybutadiene takes place selectively near crosslinks. It is suggested that the unusual behavior of cis-1,4-polybutadiene vulcanizates is due to the characteristic structure of the crosslinks.     

Photoinduced microstructural changes in 1,4-polyisoprene

An infrared and NMR study was made of the microstructural changes produced in thin films of purified cis- and trans-1,4-polyisoprene when irradiated with ultraviolet light in vacuo at room temperature. The major photochemical processes observed were cis–trans isomerization and loss of 1,4 double bonds, the latter process being accompanied by the formation of vinylidene and vinyl double bonds as well as some endlinking. Very surprisingly, the loss of original double bonds contributed also to a novel photocyclization which gave rise to cyclopropyl groups in the polyisoprene chain. The isomerization and the formation of cycloprophyl groups are presumed to proceed through triplet and biradical states of the 1,4 double bonds, while the vinylidene and vinyl double bonds must result from chain repture at the carbon–carbon bond joining successive isoprene units. Hydrogen abstraction and double-bond migration are of neglible importance in the overall photochemistry of polyisoprene.     

1,4 polymerization of isoprene by titanate catalyst systems

Titanates are versatile in the 1,4 polymerization of isoprene. The (R′O)₄Ti/RAlCl₂ catalyst gives either cis- or trans-1,4-polyisoprene, depending on the nature of both the titanate and the solvent. Primary titanates give cis-1,4-polyisoprene in both aliphatic and aromatic solvents. Secondary titanates give cis-polyisoprene in aliphatic solvents, and trans-1,4-polyisoprene in aromatic solvents. Tertiary titanates give trans-polyisoprene in both aliphatic and aromatic solvents. A mechanism is postulated which takes into consideration the role of the solvent. ESR studies of the various titanate–RAlCl₂ catalysts were made; the paramagnetic structures are related to polymerization mechanisms.     

Photo-oxidation of polymers without light: Oxidation of polybutadiene and an ABS polyblend with singlet oxygen

In recent years much evidence has been accumulated to implicate electronically excited oxygen (¹Δ_g) molecules as the agent responsible in photosensitized oxidations for the formation of allylic hydroperoxides from olefins and of endoperoxides from 1,3-dienes. Little regarding the mechanistic aspects of the photo-oxidative degradation of polybutadiene (PBD) is known, however. To determine if electronically excited oxygen (¹Δ_g) molecules can oxidize PBD, the ABS polyblend and standard samples of PBD's containing high trans, high cis, and high vinyl content were treated in homogeneous solution at low temperature with chemically produced singlet oxygen in situ. The source of the singlet oxygen was the triphenylphosphite-ozone adduct. Studies by spectroscopy, elemental analysis, viscosity determinations, and gel measurements showed only the cis- and the trans-PBD were susceptible to oxidation; no chain scission was involved in the attack of cis- and trans-PBD by singlet oxygen; the oxidation of the cis PBD involved the initial formation of hydroperoxides which on thermal decomposition yielded gel. The trans-PBD was found to oxidize but apparently by a mechanism different from that of cis-PBD. Initial singlet oxygen attack of ABS proceeds by oxidation of the PBD portion of the polyblend. It was also observed that when only a small amount of the double bonds in the cis-PBD polymer had been oxidized to hydroperoxides, subsequent thermal treatment of this sample resulted in gross structural changes in the whole polymer.     

Radiation-induced crosslinking and cyclization in 1,2-polybutadiene

In order to get information on the radiolytic changes in 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-PB) the sol and gel fractions, the conversion of double bonds, the structure and concentration of radicals, the formation of dienes and the formation of gaseous products were measured. In addition, the dose rate dependence and temperature dependence for the conversion of double bonds were determined. G values for double bond conversion depend on molecular weight and range from 20 to 200. G values for crosslinking are about 10. A mechanism for the double bond conversion is proposed which involves initiation by a transformation of the primary radical ion in the vinyl group into a carbonium ion and a radical. This is supported by ESR measurement. Reaction of the carbonium ion with a vinyl group in the same chain gives rise to cyclization, whereas reaction with a vinyl group in a neighboring chain results in crosslinking. A comparison of the G values for conversion of double bonds with the G values for crosslinking shows that the formation of cyclic rings exceeds the formation of crosslinks by a factor of about 10. The corresponding values in 1,4-cis- and 1,4-trans-polybutadiene are much smaller [G(cl) ? 2; G(db) ? 7]. The pendent vinyl groups in 1,2-polybutadiene therefore are more reactive than the vinylidene groups in 1,4-polybutadienes.     

Effects of diffusion in the oxidative degradation of vulcanized rubbers. I. Rate of chain scission in the steady state

The effects of diffusion in the oxidation of cis-1,4-polyisoprene vulcanizates were investigated by means of the stress relaxation method. It was assumed that the diffusion of oxygen is coupled with first-order oxygen consumption and that the rate of chain scission is proportional to the rate of oxygen consumption. The diffusion equation of this process was solved under the steady-state condition to give a simple relation between the rate of chain scission and the film thickness. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical treatment. The true activation energy as well as the ratio of the rate of oxidation k to the diffusion constant D could be estimated.     

Photorearrangements of hydrocarbon polymers with pendant double bonds

A study was made of the microstructural changes that occur in ultraviolet irradiation under vacuum of thin films of 1,2-poly(cis-1,4-hexadiene) (CHD), 1,2-poly(trans-1,4-hexadiene) (THD), 1,2-poly(trans-1,3-pentadiene) (TPD), equibinary (1,2,-1,4) polybutadiene (EB), and equibinary (3,4-1,4) polyisoprene (EI). These polymers—all containing pendant double bonds—undergo important photoinduced loss of unsaturation, presumably through cyclization of the double bonds, by analogy to the previously reported photocyclization of 1,2-polybutadiene (VB) and 3,4-polyisoprene (VI)films. For the equibinary polymers, which contain internal as well as external (or pendant) double bonds, the loss of unsaturation is considered to involve photocyclization of 1,2-1,4 and 1,2-1,2 dyads in EB and of 3,4-1,4 and 3,4-3,4 dyads in EI. Accompanying thecyclization process in CHD, THD, and TPD is a direct photochemical cis-trans isomerization of ? CH?CH? double bonds analogous to that originally noted for 1,4-polybutadiene. The photorearrangements in the above polymers with pendant double bonds were compared to the corresponding thermally induced rearrangements reported previoulsy;for VB and VI, in particular, the thermal, photo-and radiation-induced cycli-zations were found to be very similar, possibly having a common nonradical, nonionic mechanism involving excited double bonds.     

Photolysis of poly(o-acetylstyrene) in solution

Dilute solutions of poly(o-acetylstyrene) (POAS) were exposed to long-wave (λ ≥ 300 nm) UV radiation under high vacuum at 25 ± 1°C. Methane and much smaller amounts of ethane were formed, indicating α-cleavage (Norrish Type I). The quantum yield for CH₄ formation (5 × 10^?5 mol einstein^?1) was an order of magnitude lower than that observed for similar studies of POAS films. Molecular weight ( M _n) measurements indicate that chain scission occurs, and this is attributed to β-scission of the macroradicals formed by H-abstraction at the α-C atoms by the carbonyl triplet, and to a lesser extent, by the CH₃ radicals. Quenching by both naphthalene and cyclooctadiene conformed to Stern–Volmer kinetics. The effects on chain scission of a number of additives with varying transfer activities were found to be complex and unexpected. Rates of scission not only increased, even when substances with high transfer activity (e.g., cumene) were present, but also varied with the concentration of additive, being higher at lower additive concentrations. It would appear that solvent quality has a dominant influence (these additives are poor solvents). Tighter coiling of the polymer in the solutions containing poorer solvents results in more segment-segment contacts and with them more photoreduction and chain scission. However, at higher nonsolvent concentrations, diffusive separation of the fragments (and chain scission) becomes more difficult, and the balance is shifted in favor of cyclization (and perhaps also intermolecular crosslinking). The relative high photostability of POAS in solution (cf. thin film) has been interpreted in terms of increased competition from photoisomerization. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chain folding in poly-trans-1,4-butadiene crystals grown from various solvents

Crystals of poly-trans-1,4-butadiene of uniform size have been grown from three solvents (n-heptane, methyl isobutyl ketone, and toluene) by using a minimum dissolution temeprature technique. The percentage of double bonds available for reaction in the crystals was determined by epoxidation in suspension; crystal thicknesses were measured by electron microscopy. These values were used to calculate the number of monomer units per fold. The number of available double bonds was found to increase with decreasing molecular weight, evidence for the presence of non-reentrant chains (cilia) at the crystal surfaces. The nature of the chain fold in poly-trans-1,4-butadiene crystals is discussed.     

Thermal rearrangements of polybutadienes with different vinyl contents

A study was made of the loss of double bonds in equibinary (1,4-1,2) polybutadiene (EB) and in polybutadienes with 30% 1,2, 70% 1,4 (FI), and 10% 1,2, 90% 1,4 (DI) double-bond content, when heated in vacuum under nonpyrolytic conditions (temperature range 220–280°C). These polymers were found to undergo second-order loss of 1,2 unsaturation with similar activation energies (E_a = 34.0 ± 3 kcal/mole), by analogy to the previously reported thermally induced loss of double bonds in 1,2-polybutadiene (VB) (E_a = 33.6 ± 3 kcal/mole). Moreover, EB and FI exhibited also second-order loss of 1,4 unsaturation, with E_a ca. 36 and 40 kcal/mole, respectively, while DI showed negligible loss of 1,4 unsaturation below 260°C, in common with cis-1,4-polybutadiene (CB) (with 2% 1,2 double bonds) examined earlier. The loss of 1,2 double bonds in the various polybutadienes with different vinyl contents is accompanied by substantial methyl production, ranging from about one methyl group formed for every 4–5 vinyl units lost in VB, to one methyl for every two vinyls lost in EB, and to almost one methyl for each vinyl lost in DI or CB. Mechanisms are proposed for the thermally induced loss of 1,2 and 1,4 unsaturation in various polybutadienes and for the accompanying methyl production.     

Controlled Chain‐Scission of Polybutadiene by the Schwartz Hydrozirconation

Controlled chain‐scission of polybutadiene (PB), polyisoprene, and poly(styrene‐co‐butadiene), induced by bis(cyclopentadienyl) zirconium hydrochloride (Cp₂ZrHCl), was revealed at room temperature. The chain‐scission reaction of linear PB was studied by means of GPC, NMR spectroscopy, and MALDI‐TOF‐MS. It was confirmed that the molecular weights of degraded products were quasi‐quantitatively controlled by Cp₂ZrHCl loading, irrespective of the starting PB, whereas the microstructure of PB chains was crucial to the scission reaction. The hydrozirconation of model molecules indicated that the existence of an internal double bond in compounds with multiple double bonds was essential for chain cleavage. The chain‐cleavage mechanism was proposed to involve hydrozirconation of internal double bonds in PB chains and β‐alkyl elimination. Furthermore, metallocene‐catalyzed chain‐scission by a chain‐transfer reaction was developed. It is believed that the reported chain scission offers a promising pathway for end‐group functionalization by chain cleavage and presents a new application of Schwartz’s reagent.     

Effect of structure on the thermal degradation and flame retardancy of hexolic anhydride based polyesters

Based on the anhydrides like hexolic (5,6,7,8,10,10-hexachloro -3a,4,4a,5,8,8a,9,9a-octahydro-5,8-methanonaphtho-[2,3-c]-furan-1,3-dione), maleic and phthalic and diols like 1,4-butanediol, cis-2-butene-1,4-diol and 2,3-dichloro-2-butene-1,4-diol, a family of polyesters has been synthesized using azeotropic condensation technique. The structural characterizations of the polyesters have been carried out using infra-red, 1^H - and ¹³C- nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. The thermal properties of the polyesters have been studied using thermogravimetric technique. The off-line pyrolysis of these materials was done. The qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses of the volatiles as well as the heavy mass fractions of the degradation products were carried out using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass selective detector (GC-MSD). Thermogravimetric data indicate that the thermal stability and the char residue of the polyester resins decrease in the order 1,4-butanediol based>cis-2-butene-1,4-diol based>2,3-dichloro-2-butene-1,4-diol based polyesters. The GC-MSD data indicate that the amount of flame cooling agents (hexa-, isomeric penta-, tetra- and isomeric tri-chlorocyclopentadienes) produced during the pyrolysis of the polyesters increases in the order 2,3-dichloro-2-butene-1,4-diol based<cis-2-butene-1,4-diol based<1,4-butanediol based polyesters. The trends observed in these two parameters which are contributing factors to the flame retardancy of the polyester materials were suitably explained on the basis of the effect of the structural changes in the diol part of the polyesters on the primary degradation mechanism, the β-chain scission process.     

Polycondensation of bis(p-nitrophenyl) β-truxinate with diamine

Model reaction of bis(4-nitrophenyl) β-truxinate (BNPT) with aliphatic amines proceeded quantitatively at room temperature. Accordingly, polycondensation of BNPT with various diamines was carried out at room temperature or 80°C. During the polycondensation of BNPT with diamines, the precipitation of polymer or the observed gelation of polymerization solution occurred, which may limit the molecular weight of the polymer. On the other hand, the reaction of BNPT with 1,3-(4-piperidyl)propane (DPP) proceeded homogeneously to give the polymer with relatively high molecular weight, and the obtained polyamide (P-1e) showed excellent solubility in many solvents. The study of TG and DTA indicated that the obtained polymers were stable at lower temperature than around 270°C. The polymer prepared from the polycondensation of BNPT with hexamethylenediamine showed melting point and decomposition due to the imidation at 282°C. The photochemical reaction of these polymers was carried out in the film state. The irradiation of 254 nm light caused an absorption at 272 nm to appear and the molecular weight to decrease. This meant that the scission of cyclobutane ring in the main chain occurred to give cinnamamide structures. Also, the absorption at 272 nm decreased by the irradiation of 302.5 nm light. However, the UV spectrum of irradiated polymer did not agree with that of the original polymer. These results suggested that the dimerization of the resulting cinnamamide moieties occurred in the competition of their trans–cis-isomerization. On the other hand, the rate of scission of cyclobutane ring of P-1e was faster than that of the corresponding polyamide containing α-truxillamide structure.     

Radiolyse des hydrocarbures. 21e communication. Mécanismes radicalaires et non-radicalaires dans les n-alcanes en phase liquide

Contributions of radical and non-radical processes have been determined in the formation of radiolysis products of n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane and n-decane in a large range of temperature. Calculations are based on the combination and the dismutation of radicals, both reactions having nearly the same importance. Hydrogen abstraction reactions become important above – 25°. Intermediate molecular weight products and dimers are formed by statistical combination of the various radicals resulting from C? C and C? H scission. At low temperature, low molecular weight products are formed by both radical and non-radical processes, the second one being more important (3/4 for alcanes and 2/3 for olefins). The yield of radicals increases with the chain length of the irradiated n-alkane and amounts to 4.5 for n-heptane and 6.8 for n-decane at – 25°. This increase is due only to radicals from C? H scission, while the yield of radicals from C? C scission remains constant. Scission of CH₂? CH₂ bonds is favored for bonds inside the molecule, but this affect diminishes with chain length and CH₂? CH₂ rupture is equally probable at all positions for n-alcanes heavier than decane. Methyl C? H scission is 2.7 times less probable than methylene C? H scission. The radiolysis of mixtures of protonated and deuterated n-alcanes is shown to be able to give information concerning basic processes in radiation chemistry.     

Structure of polypiperylene chain segments according to high-resolution 13C NMR spectra

The microstructure of stereoregular 1,4-trans-and 1,4-cis-polypiperylenes, as well as polymers prepared from the trans-and cis-piperylene isomers via cationic polymerization in the presence of TiCl₄, was studied by high-resolution ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Polypiperylene synthesized through the cationic polymerization of the cis isomer had a more diversified morphology of the macromolecular chain, i.e., had higher relative amounts of 1,2-cis-units and combinations of irregular-addition 1,4-trans-units. It was shown that ¹³C NMR spectra give the most comprehensive and independent information on the details of structure of the piperylene macromolecular chain.     

Polymerization of isoprene initiated by the reaction products of η3-allyl complexes of transition metals and titanium chlorides

The main path of the interaction of chromium and nickel η³-allyl complexes and titanium tetrachloride is the transfer of allyl ligands to titanium with the concomitant reduction of TiCl₄ to η-TiCl₃ and the formation of the products initiating isoprene polymerization. The stereospecific effect of the system is because of the formation of bimetallic complexes with bridged metal—carbon bonds which are the most probable centers of stereospecific cis-1,4-polyisoprene chain propagation.     

Molecularly templated reaction for forming poly(dimethyl siloxane)–graphene oxide composite elastomers

This study explores the molecularly templated reaction of pyrene‐terminated telechelic poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) with graphene oxide (GO) to produce composite elastomers. These materials undergo chemical crosslinking between secondary amides near PDMS chain ends and epoxies on the surface of GO as confirmed by infrared spectroscopy, rheology, gel content, and mechanical property measurements. The incorporation of pyrene end groups introduces π–π interactions with GO surfaces that enhance the reaction efficacy of the nearby secondary amide groups. As a comparison, methoxy‐terminated telechelic PDMS containing the same secondary amides near the chain ends did not exhibit appreciable crosslinking with GO. Depending on the concentration of the amide groups, the pyrene‐terminated PDMS/GO elastomer can be highly crosslinked (e.g., up to 96 wt % gel) but highly extensible (e.g., extensional strains of more than 200%). This general strategy could be implemented using other amide containing polymers to produce a wide range of high‐performance thermosets and elastomers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1406–1413     

Synthesis and characterization of allyl functionalized poly(α-hydroxy)acids and their further dihydroxylation and epoxidation

In this study, the synthesis of an allyl functionalized aliphatic polyester and the subsequent oxidation of the double bonds was investigated. Allylglycolide (3-allyl-1,4-dioxane-2,5-dione) was synthesized and its homopolymer and copolymers with l-lactide were prepared by ring opening polymerization in the melt using benzyl alcohol and SnOct₂ as initiator and catalyst, respectively. The polymerizations proceeded with high yields and conversions and good control over molecular weights and copolymer composition. The obtained polymers were amorphous materials and their T_g increased with increasing lactide content. Dihydroxylation of the double bonds in poly(allylglycolide) and copolymers with lactide was attempted with osmiumtetroxide/4-methylmorpholine-4-oxide (OsO₄/NMO). However, particularly the polymers rich in allylglycolide could not be isolated after dihydroxylation because they likely underwent degradation during workup. Optimizing the reaction conditions gave partially dihydroxylated copolymers only for copolymers with high lactide content (50 and 75 mol%) with a conversion of the double bonds of only ∼60%. GPC analysis showed that chain scission had occurred during the dihydroxylation reaction and/or workup.The allyl groups of poly(allylglycolide) homopolymers and copolymers with lactide were oxidized using m-chloroperoxy benzoic acid (mCPBA) to yield the corresponding epoxidated polymers in high yield. NMR analysis showed that conversion of the double bonds to epoxides was quantitative, whereas GPC analysis showed that the epoxidation was not associated with chain scission. All epoxidated polymers were amorphous materials with a T_g depending on the composition.