| Abstract: | Photolysis behavior of oxidized poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in which carbonyl groups were introduced by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite and periodic acid was investigated by using ESR spectrometry. Increased formation of PVA radicals was observed in the sample with low degree of oxidation, which showed an emphasized formation of triplet component radical. On the other hand, the formation of radicals tended to be depressed in the highly oxidized sample, and a singlet component was dominant in the ESR spectrum. By examining infrared and ultraviolet spectra of the oxidized sample, the sample was found to contain two structures, a saturated ketone group and an α,β-unsaturated group; the latter structure was intensified with increasing degree of oxidation. Based on ESR studies of the photoirradiated acetone and mesityl oxide, the models of saturated and α,β-unsaturated ketone structures in the oxidized PVA, respectively a photodecomposition mechanism of oxidized PVA was proposed. |
