Cyanoacrylates ethyl cyanoacrylate

Cyanoacrylate adhesives (Super-Glues) are materials which rapidly polymerize at room temperature. The standard monomer for a cyanoacrylate adhesive is ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate [7085-85-0], which readily undergoes anionic polymerization. Very rapid cure of these materials has made them widely used in the electronics industry for speaker magnet mounting, as weU as for wire tacking and other apphcations requiring rapid assembly. Anionic polymerization of a cyanoacrylate adhesive is normally initiated by water. Therefore, atmospheric humidity or the surface moisture content must be at a certain level for polymerization to take place. These adhesives are not cross-linked as are the surface-activated acryhcs. Rather, the cyanoacrylate material is a thermoplastic, and thus, the adhesives typically have poor temperature resistance. 

In dry air and in the presence of polymerisation inhibitors methyl and ethyl 2-cyanoacrylates have a storage life of many months. Whilst they may be polymerised by free-radical methods, anionic polymerisation is of greater significance. A very weak base, such as water, can bring about rapid polymerisation and in practice a trace of moisture on a substrate is enough to allow polymerisation to occur within a few seconds of closing the joint and excluding the air. (As with many acrylic monomers air can inhibit or severely retard polymerisation). 

Fig. 11. Effect of polyolefin primers on bond strength of ethyl cyanoacrylate to plastics. All assemblies tested in accordance with ASTM D 4501 (block shear method). ETFE = ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer LDPE = low-density polyethylene PFA = polyper-fluoroalkoxycthylene PBT = polybutylene terephthalate, PMP = polymethylpentene PPS = polyphenylene sulfide PP = polypropylene PS = polystyrene PTFE = polytetrafluoroethylene PU = polyurethane. From ref. [73].

The initiation mechanism is well defined because of the recent isolation and spectroscopic characterization of the initial zwitterion from ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA) and a phosphine [8,9]. Specifically, zwitterion 4 was prepared from the reaction of equimolar amounts of dimethylphenyl phosphine, 5, and ECA, 6,... 

Ethyl cyanoacrylate is the monomer which is most widely used in both consumer and industrial applications, because of its combination of fast cure speed and ease of manufacture. 

Crosslinking has been claimed to improve thermal resistance of the cyanoacrylate adhesive [18]. However, in other reports [6], little or no improvement in thermal resistance of the adhesive was demonstrated by the addition of a difunctional monomer. As seen in Fig. 2, the addition of varying amounts of crosslinker 7 provided no improvement in the tensile adhesive strength of ethyl cyanoacrylate on steel lapshears after thermal exposure at 121 °C for up to 48 h. 

More recently, the copolymerization of ethyl cyanoacrylate with other 1,1 disubstituted electron deficient monomers and the effect of the monomers on adhesive properties have been studied. Monomers, such as diethyl methylene-malonate (DEMM), 8, were prepared [6,7]. Their homopolymers and copolymers... 

The molecular weights of the polymers are much larger than would be predicted from the monomer/initiator ratio, as seen in Fig. 4. However, this effect is most evident for the polymerization of ethyl cyanoacrylate alone. 

The adhesive properties the other monomers were also evaluated, alone and as mixtures with ethyl cyanoacrylate. The addition of DEMM to ECA has an obvious negative effect on adhesion, as can be seen in Fig. 5. 

All of the eommereial alkyl eyanoaerylate monomers are low-viseosity liquids, and for some applications this can be an advantage. However, there are instances where a viseous liquid or a gel adhesive would be preferred, sueh as for application to a vertical surface or on porous substrates. A variety of viscosity control agents, depending upon the desired properties, have been added to increase the viscosity of instant adhesives [21]. The materials, which have been utilized, include polymethyl methacrylate, hydrophobic silica, hydrophobic alumina, treated quartz, polyethyl cyanoacrylate, cellulose esters, polycarbonates, and carbon black. For example, the addition of 5-10% of amorphous, non-crystalline, fumed silica to ethyl cyanoacrylate changes the monomer viscosity from a 2-cps liquid to a gelled material [22]. Because of the sensitivity of cyanoacrylate esters to basic materials, some additives require treatment with an acid to prevent premature gelation of the product. 

An example of this improvement in toughness can be demonstrated by the addition of Vamac B-124, an ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymer from DuPont, to ethyl cyanoacrylate [24-26]. Three model instant adhesive formulations, a control without any polymeric additive (A), a formulation with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (B), and a formulation with Vamac B-124 (C), are shown in Table 4. The formulation with PMMA, a thermoplastic which is added to modify viscosity, was included to determine if the addition of any polymer, not only rubbers, could improve the toughness properties of an alkyl cyanoacrylate instant adhesive. To demonstrate an improvement in toughness, the three formulations were tested for impact strength, 180° peel strength, and lapshear adhesive strength on steel specimens, before and after thermal exposure at 121°C. 

The addition of Vamac B-124 to ethyl cyanoacrylate has a more pronounced effect on peel strength, both at ambient temperature and after thermal exposure. After 24 h at ambient temperature, the peel strength of the rubber-toughened formulation is almost 40% greater than the control formulation A without rubber. After heating the test specimens for 2 h at 121°C, the peel strength of formulation A, is almost non-existent, while that of C has increased significantly, as seen in Fig. 7. 

Interestingly, this same effect has been observed for the addition of a rubber toughening agent to ethyl cyanoacrylate-based adhesives, as was reported previously. The rubber must contain enough latent acid functionality on the polymer backbone or in an additive to inhibit the thermally activated decomposition of the alkyl cyanoacrylate adhesive polymer. 

This difference in reactivity between the different classes of amines explains the difference in the primer performance on polyolefin substrates with ethyl cyanoacrylate-based adhesives [37J. Since primary and secondary amines form low molecular weight species, a weak boundary layer would form first, instead of high molecular weight polymer. Also, the polymer, which does ultimately form, has a lower molecular weight, which would lower adhesives strength [8,9]. 

Law enforcement agencies even use cyanoacrylates to obtain fingerprints on irregularly shaped objects and porous surfaces [39]. They first place the objeet to be tested in a tank with warmed ethyl cyanoaerylate. The ECA vapor migrates onto... 

Despite the universal use of sutures for wound closure, there is a need to utilize adhesives instead, because of their ease of use and the reduced risk of infection. Alkyl cyanoacrylate adhesives have been studied extensively for this use, and a significant amount of research has been performed to evaluate their interaction with living tissue [40,41 J. They have been approved for external use only, because of concerns with the fact that the polymers do not readily biodegrade and can cause inflammation around the area to which it was applied. However, these concerns are reduced for -butyl cyanoacrylate, as compared to the ethyl cyanoacrylate. There is even some evidence that their use as liquid sutures actually reduces the rate of infection around the healing wound or surgical incision [42J. 

Polymeric ethyl cyanoacrylate exhibits very low toxicity properties. In tests with laboratory rats, oral administration of 6400 mg/kg of the polymer failed to harm the test animals. Some skin irritation did occur in tests on guinea pigs, but skin sensitization or absorption through the skin was not observed [45]. 

Among Michael acceptors that have been shown to react with ketone and ester enolates under kinetic conditions are methyl a-trimethylsilylvinyl ketone,295 methyl a-methylthioacrylate,296 methyl methylthiovinyl sulfoxide,297 and ethyl a-cyanoacrylate.298 Each of these acceptors benefits from a second anion-stabilizing substituent. The latter class of acceptors has been found to be capable of generating contiguous quaternary carbon centers. 

The adhesive marketed under the tradename Superglue contains the monomer methyl a-cyanoacrylate (Fig. 14.5.1). A variety of cyanoacrylates are commercially sold as contact adhesives with the alkyl group -R denoted in Fig. 14.5.2 varying from a methyl group to produce ethyl, isopropyl, allyl, butyl, isobutyl,... 

Technical Data Sheet for Gel Set 44 Ethyl Cyanoacrylate, http //www.holdtite.com/english/technical/tech/ca44.htm... 

Arias, J.L., Gallardo, V., Gomez-Lopera, S.A., Plaza, R.C. and Delgado, A.V. (2001) Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles with a magnetic core. Journal of Controlled Release, 77, 309-321. 

Surprisingly, a-cyanoacrylic acid is reported to react spontaneously with triethylsilane in the absence of any additional acid to give a quantitative yield of the triethylsilyl ester of a-cyanopropionic acid.236 Ethyl a-cyanoacrylate requires the presence of trifluoroacetic acid to undergo reduction to ethyl 2-cyanopropionate.236 Many of these reductions are highly stereoselective. For example, treatment of... 

Cyanoacetic acid, 2 138, 139 and esters, 2 7 244-245 Cyanoacrylate adhesives, 2 539-540 Cyanoacrylate vapors, 22 102 Cyanobacteria, in nitrogen fixation, 2 7 302 Cyanobacterial associations, in nitrogen fixation, 27 299-300 Cyanocobalamin, 7 238 25 803-804 Cyanoethene. See Acrylonitrile (AN) l-Cyanoethyl-2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole (2EMZ-CN) curing catalyst, 20 17 2V-Cyanoethylated toluenediamines, 25 197... 

In many cases, homopolymerization can be initiated by the anion-radicals of the monomers themselves. Of course, such monomers must have pronounced electron affinity (EA) and be stabilized by delocalization of an unpaired electron. Typical examples are represented by the anion-radicals of 1,1-dicyanoethylene (EA = 1.36 eV) and methyl or ethyl 2-cyanoacrylates (EA = 1.08 eV). In all of these anion-radicals, an unpaired electron is primarily localized on C atom of the CH2 segment and characterized by appreciable resonance stabilization (Brinkmann et al. 2002). These anion-radicals are nucleophilic and attack the neutral monomers to initiate polymerization. 

World Health Organization Concise International Chemical Assessment Document (CICAD) 36, Methyl Cyanoacrylate and Ethyl Cyanoacrylate. pp 1-19. International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), Geneva, 2001... 

The principal impurities are a benzene-insoluble brown tar and hexane-soluble ethyl /3-cyanoacrylate. 

POLY (ETHYL a - CYANOACRYLATE -CO-ETHYL a -CARBOXAMIDO ACRYLATE) (9 1) (FMR-E101 (FUJI CHEMICAL)) CN CONH- I I CH c-CH.-C-2 I I COOC2H5 COOC2H5 2 X 1 05 1.5 54... 

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