Acrylates handling

Acryhc acid and esters are stabilized with minimum amounts of inhibitors consistent with stabihty and safety. The acryhc monomers must be stable and there should be no polymer formation for prolonged periods with normal storage and shipping (4,106). The monomethyl ether of hydroquinone (MEHQ) is frequentiy used as inhibitor and low inhibitor grades of the acrylate monomers are available for bulk handling. MEHQ at 10—15 ppm is generally... 

Acrolein, acrylamide, hydroxyalkyl acrylates, and other functional derivatives can be more hazardous from a health standpoint than acryhc acid and its simple alkyl esters. Furthermore, some derivatives, such as the alkyl 2-chloroacrylates, are powerful vesicants and can cause serious eye injuries. Thus, although the hazards of acryhc acid and the normal alkyl acrylates are moderate and they can be handled safely with ordinary care to industrial hygiene, this should not be assumed to be the case for compounds with chemically different functional groups (see Industrial hygiene Plant safety Toxicology). 

The toxicides of acrylic monomers range from moderate to slight. In general, they can be handled safely and without difficulty by trained personnel following estabhshed safety practices. Table 5 summarizes investigations of the toxicity of the common acrylic monomers in animals under acute toxicity conditions (67). 

In normal practice, good ventilation to reduce exposure to vapors, splash-proof goggles to avoid eye contact, and protective clothing to avoid skin contact are required for the safe handling of acrylic monomers. A more extensive discussion of these factors should be consulted before handling these monomers (67). 

Acrylic polymers are considered to be nontoxic. In fact, the FDA allows certain acrylate polymers to be used in the packaging and handling of food. However, care must be exercised because additives or residual monomers present in various types of polymers can display toxicity. For example, some acryflc latex dispersions can be mild skin or eye irritants. This toxicity is usually ascribed to the surfactants in the latex and not to the polymer itself. 

Solution Polymerization. This method is not commercially important, although it is convenient and practical, because it provides viscous cements that are difficult to handle. Also, the choice of the solvent is a key parameter due to the high solvent chain-transfer constants for acrylates. 

Acrylate Esters, A Guide to Safety and Handling, compiled by Badische Corp., Celanese Chemical Co. Inc., Rohm and Haas Co., and Union Carbide Corp., 1984. 

A number of injection mouldings have been prepared from CAB with about 19% combined acetic acid and 44% combined butyric acid. Their principal end products have been for tabulator keys, automobile parts, toys and tool handles. In the United States CAB has been used for telephone housings. Extruded CAB piping has been extensively used in America for conveying water, oil and natural gas, while CAB sheet has been able to offer some competition to acrylic sheet for outdoor display signs. 

The carboxylated polymers [476,499] include acrylic, methacrylic or maleic acid polymers (all obviously anionic in character) applied mainly from aqueous emulsion and particularly in combination with crease-resist or durable press resins. This type of chemistry has already been discussed in section 10.8.2. A particularly common example is the copolymer of acrylic acid with ethyl acrylate (10.247). In general the best balance of properties is obtained with 75-85% ethyl acrylate (y) and 25-15% acrylic acid (x), with an average chain length of about 1300 (x + y) units 65-85% ethyl acrylate with 35-15% methacrylic acid is also suitable. When the content of the acidic comonomer increases above about 30% the durability to washing tends to decrease, whilst longer chains tend to give a stiffer handle [499]. 

The monomer is volatile and tends to self-polymerise, and is therefore stored and handled cool and inhibited, with storage limited to below 6 months. Several industrial explosions have been recorded [1]. Unlike acrylic monomers, oxygen is not involved in stabilisation and is detrimental at higher temperatures [2], The polymerisation has been modelled and causes of accidents proposed [3]. 

Standard on Explosion Prevention Systems, National Fire Protection Association, 2002). For example, methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate are commonly stabilized with hydroquinone monomethyl ether. Industry guidance recommends a minimum concentration of 5 vol % 02 in the atmosphere above the acrylate to prevent polymerization (Intercompany Committee for the Safety and Handling of Acrylic Monomers, Acrylate Esters, A Summary of Safety ana Handling, 3d ed., 2002). 

Reppe route to acrylates, 1 355-357 shipping and handling of, 1 213-216 solubility in acetaldehyde, l 101t solubility in selected organic liquids,... 

Acrylic latices (more than one latex) find many uses in the field of coatings. Every amateur house painter appreciates the handling advantages ... 

Handling. Acrylates are traded as technical grade (99% purity), inhibited or uninhibited. Usually they are sold with trace amounts of hydroquinone as an inhibitor. 

If the chemistry is amenable, it is possible to synthesize a large number of small samples of polymers by simply mixing the ingredients in either small vials or multiwell plates. For example, Brocchini et al. prepared a library of 112 polymers by mixing the monomers in individual vials which were placed in a water bath [22]. Akinc et al. synthesized a library of 24 unique poly(j3-amino esters) via the conjugate addition of acrylates and amines by mixing the monomers in sample vials fitted with stir bars [23]. To speed up this process, a liquid handling robot can be used to dispense the raw materials into an array of vials [24]. 

The most commonly applied ot,p-unsaturated ester auxiliary is the menthol group. It is inexpensive and easy to handle. Several different menthyl 2-alkenoates (157), in particular acrylates, have been applied in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions (Scheme 12.51). The major drawback of the menthyl ester auxiliary in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions are the poor selectivities often associated with these reactions, except for reactions with azomethine ylides. 

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