Formaldehyde-to-phenol ratio

Typical formaldehyde-to-phenol ratios in novolac syntheses range from about 0.7 to 0.85 to maintain oligomers with sufficiently low molecular weights... 

The reaction conditions, formaldehyde-to-phenol ratios, and concentration and type of catalyst govern the mechanisms and kinetics of resole syntheses. Higher formaldehyde-to-phenol ratios accelerate the reaction rates. This is to be expected since phenol-formaldehyde reactions follow second-order kinetics. Increased hydroxymethyl substitution on phenols due to higher formaldehyde compositions also leads to more condensation products.55... 

Crosslinking resoles in the presence of sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate lead to preferential formation of ortho-ortho methylene linkages.63 Resole networks crosslinked under basic conditions showed that crosslink density depends on the degree of hydroxymethyl substitution, which is affected by the formaldehyde-to-phenol ratio, the reaction time, and the type and concentration of catalyst (uncatalyzed, with 2% NaOH, with 5% NaOH).64 As expected, NaOH accelerated the rates of both hydroxymethyl substitution and methylene ether formation. Significant rate increases were observed for ortho substitutions as die amount of NaOH increased. The para substitution, which does not occur in the absence of the catalyst, formed only in small amounts in the presence of NaOH. 

Formaldehyde-to-phenol ratios, 404 V-Formyl amines, 158 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, 116, 300, 387, 407-408 Fradet, Alain, 17 Free-radical copolymerization, 59 Friedel-Crafts acrylation polymerization, 332-334... 

Formaldehyde to Phenol Ratio. The effect of formaldehyde/phenol ratio on pH, viscosity, and gel time of the lignin-phenolic resin system is summarized as follows ... 

An alkaline catalyst like NaOH is used, with formaldehyde to phenol ratio varied from 1 1 to 3 1 (usually 1.8-2.4 ) for particle boards. Apart from catalyzing the hydroxymethylation of phenol, NaOH also serves to provide the required water solubility of the resin, even at a high molecular weight, through the formation of sodium phenoxides. Furthermore, it accelerates the curing of the resin. 

Polymerization under acidic conditions, the first control scenario mentioned, employs an initial formaldehyde to phenol ratio of 0.75-0.85 to 1. Stoichiometric ratio would be 1.5 to 1. Catalysis is achieved by using a strong acid 0.1-0.3%, hydrochloric acidiphenol ratio, or 0.5-2% oxalic acid to... 

Some of the factors identified in determining the final properties of these resins are the phenol-formaldehyde ratio, pH, temperature and the type of catalyst (acid or alkaline) used in the preparation of the resin. The phenol-formaldehyde ratio (P/F) (or formaldehyde to phenol ratio, F/P) is a most important factor as it leads to two different classes of synthetic polymers, namely Novolacs and resoles. The first class of resins, Novolacs, is produced by the reaction of phenol with formaldehyde with a P/F > 1 usually under acidic conditions (Scheme 2a). Resoles are produced by the reaction of phenol and formaldehyde with a P/F <1 usually under basic conditions (Scheme 2b). 

When novolaks are heated with additional paraformaldehyde or hexamethylene tetramine to raise the formaldehyde-to-phenol ratio above unity, high-molecular-weight cross-linked network structure is formed. 

One-Stage Resins. The ratio of formaldehyde to phenol is high enough to allow the thermosetting process to take place without the addition of other sources of cross-links. 

Two-Stage Resins. The ratio of formaldehyde to phenol is low enough to prevent the thermosetting reaction from occurring during manufacture of the resin. At this point the resin is termed novolac resin. Subsequently, hexamethylenetetramine is incorporated into the material to act as a source of chemical cross-links during the molding operation (and conversion to the thermoset or cured state). 

Stopping the polymer at this point requires the ratio of formaldehyde to phenol to be less than unity. Both methylene and ether bridges are known to be present. The reaction is either acid or base catalyzed, and branching is uncommon at this stage. The products are variously known as A stage resins, novolacs, or resole prepolymers. 

Alkaline Catalysts, Resoles. Resole-type phenoHc resins are produced with a molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol of 1.2 1 to 3.0 1. For substituted phenols, the ratio is usually 1.2 1 to 1.8 1. Common alkaline catalysts are NaOH, Ca(OH)2, and Ba(OH)2. Whereas novolak resins and strong acid catalysis result in a limited number of stmctures and properties, resoles cover a much wider spectmm. Resoles may be soHds or Hquids, water-soluble or -insoluble, alkaline or neutral, slowly curing or highly reactive. In the first step, the phenolate anion is formed by delocali2ation of the negative charge to the ortho and para positions. 

Novolak Resins. In a conventional novolak process, molten phenol is placed into the reactor, foHowed by a precise amount of acid catalyst. The formaldehyde solution is added at a temperature near 90°C and a formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratio of 0.75 1 to 0.85 1. For safety reasons, slow continuous or stepwise addition of formaldehyde is preferred over adding the entire charge at once. Reaction enthalpy has been reported to be above 80 kj /mol (19 kcal/mol) (29,30). The heat of reaction is removed by refluxing the water combined with the formaldehyde or by using a small amount of a volatile solvent such as toluene. Toluene and xylene are used for azeotropic distillation. FoHowing decantation, the toluene or xylene is returned to the reactor. 

Resoles. Like the novolak processes, a typical resole process consists of reaction, dehydration, and finishing. Phenol and formaldehyde solution are added all at once to the reactor at a molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol of 1.2—3.0 1. Catalyst is added and the pH is checked and adjusted if necessary. The catalyst concentration can range from 1—5% for NaOH, 3—6% for Ba(OH)2, and 6—12% for hexa. A reaction temperature of 80—95°C is used with vacuum-reflux control. The high concentration of water and lower enthalpy compared to novolaks allows better exotherm control. In the reaction phase, the temperature is held at 80—90°C and vacuum-refluxing lasts from 1—3 h as determined in the development phase. SoHd resins and certain hquid resins are dehydrated as quickly as possible to prevent overreacting or gelation. The end point is found by manual determination of a specific hot-plate gel time, which decreases as the polymerization advances. Automation includes on-line viscosity measurement, gc, and gpc. 

The resins should dry quickly and cure weU at low temperatures. They usually are made at a high pH with high ratios of formaldehyde to phenol and held to fairly low molecular weight. Typical viscosities are 15, 000 mPa-s(=cP) at 75% soHds content for a first coat and 1000 mPa-s(=cP) at 50% soHds for the top resin. For dense backing materials, such as fiber disks, a typical resin has a viscosity of 50, 000 mPa-s(=cP) at 80% soHds and is cured at 148°C. 

The term novolac refers to the early use of phenolic to replace expensive shellac-based coatings. Novolacs are now those resins made at formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratios of less than one-to-one. They are generally, though not always, manufactured under acidic conditions. Sulfuric or oxalic acids are most often chosen as catalyst though aromatic sulfonic acids and phosphoric acid are also quite common. Many other acids are used for special purposes. The finished novolac resin is incapable of further polymerization or crosslinking and therefore... 

Typical features of a plywood resole formulation are a formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratio in the 2.0 1 to 2.5 1 range, programmed formaldehyde, an alkali content from 4 to 8 wt% (calculated as sodium hydroxide), and pan solids of 40-50%. Resins used for laminated veneer lumber (LVL) tend to be similar to plywood resins in composition and molecular weight, though they are often designed for high-end cure speed. 

Fig. 8. Freeman and Lewis-based calculations at a 2 1 formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratio.

The formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratios of most novolacs lie somewhere between 0.30 and 0.99. This is a very broad range in the eyes of a novolac chemist. Novolacs are extremely sensitive to molar ratio variation and they are usually specified to the nearest 0.001 molar ratio unit or less. Also unlike resoles, one does not have the option of selecting the development of molecular weight through viscosity control. The molecular weight and viscosity are largely determined by... 

As with resoles, the central issue in design of novolacs is molecular weight. The effects of formaldehyde-to-phenol molar ratio and formaldehyde conversion on molecular weight of novolacs has been well studied and reported [192,193]. The effects of molecular weight on most of the important properties are also available [193]. These include Tg, melt viscosity, gel time, hot-plate flow, glass-plate flow. 

The acid-catalyzed reaction occurs by an electrophilic substitution where formaldehyde is the electrophile. Condensation between the methylol groups and the benzene rings results in the formation of methylene bridges. Usually, the ratio of formaldehyde to phenol is kept less than unity to produce a linear fusible polymer in the first stage. Crosslinking of the formed polymer can occur by adding more formaldehyde and a small amount of hexamethylene tetramine (hexamine. 

Phenol, along with formaldehyde, is used to produce a very important and versatile group of polymers known as phenolics or phenol-formaldehyde resins. These resins can be either thermoplastic or thermosetting, depending on the amount of formaldehyde used. A larger ratio of formaldehyde to phenol promotes crosslinking to produce more rigid materials. 

The final structure of resins produced depends on the reaction condition. Formaldehyde to phenol (F/P) and hydroxyl to phenol (OH/P) molar ratios as well as ruction temperahne were the most important parameters in synthesis of resols. In this study, the effect of F/P and OH/P wt%, and reaction temperature on the chemical structure (mono-, di- and trisubstitution of methyrol group, methylene bridge, phenolic hemiformals, etc.) was studied utilizing a two-level full factorial experimental design. The result obtained may be applied to control the physical and chemical properties of pre-polymer. 

Phenol-formaldehyde prepolymers, referred to as novolacs, are obtained by using a ratio of formaldehyde to phenol of 0.75-0.85 1, sometimes lower. Since the reaction system is starved for formaldehyde, only low molecular weight polymers can be formed and there is a much narrower range of products compared to the resoles. The reaction is accomplished by heating for 2 1 h at or near reflux temperature in the presence of an acid catalyst. Oxalic and sulfuric acids are used in amounts of 1-2 and <1 part, respectively, per 100 parts phenol. The polymerization involves electrophilic aromatic substitution, first by hydroxymethyl carboca-tion and subsequently by benzyl carbocation—each formed by protonation of OH followed by loss of water. There is much less benzyl ether bridging between benzene rings compared to the resole prepolymers. 

Dase-catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resins polymerized with a mole ratio of formaldehyde to phenol greater than one pose an interesting molecular weight characterization problem. This system is a dynamic one with active methylol end groups. Branched and crosslinked structures are formed, and in general, the separation of the resin from the reaction mixture is difficult. Figure 1 illustrates the chemical nature of a resole resin. 

Phenolic resins for plywood are typically caustic-catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resoles. Typical resins are water solutions containing 40-44 percent resin solids composed of 23 - 25 percent phenol, 5-7 percent sodium hydroxide and 10 - 12 percent formaldehyde. The ratio of formaldehyde to phenol in a resin has a decided effect on performance characteristics as does the synthesis procedure used in manufacturing the resin. 

---