Determination of the molecular masses of tetrafluoroethylene telomers by gel-permeation chromatography

Gel-permeation chromatography has been employed to study the molecular-mass distribution of tetrafluoroethylene telomers prepared through γ irradiation of 0.05–0.56 mol/l monomer solutions in acetone. The molecular-mass-retention-volume V _R calibration dependence has been plotted from chromatograms of perfluoroenanthic and perfluoropelargonic acids (F(CF₂-CF₂) _n COOH; n = 3 or 4, respectively). The measured V _R-log n curve is located parallel to that plotted earlier for oligo(oxyethylene glycol)s (OH-(CH₂-CH₂O) _n -OH) and is shifted along the volume axis. The shift value is determined by the ratio between logarithmic volumes of chain units of these oligomers. The shift agrees with the assumption that the retention volumes of oligomers with the same spatial chain structure are proportional to the logarithm of the ratio between their van der Waals volumes. This assumption is supported by the quantum-chemical calculation of the molecular volumes of oligomers composed of (CH₂-CH₂) _n , (CH₂-CH₂O) _n , and (CF₂-CF₂) _n fragments. As the concentration of tetrafluoroethylene in the initial solution is increased, the average length of (CF₂-CF₂) _n chains increases from \(\bar n\) ≈ 3 to \(\bar n\) ≥ 8. The maximum values of n = 12–15 are determined by the solubility limit of telomers in THF.