Polymer oxidative radical mechanism

Bateman, Gee, Barnard, and others at the British Rubber Producers Research Association [6,7] developed a free radical chain reaction mechanism to explain the autoxidation of rubber which was later extended to other polymers and hydrocarbon compounds of technological importance [8,9]. Scheme 1 gives the main steps of the free radical chain reaction process involved in polymer oxidation and highlights the important role of hydroperoxides in the autoinitiation reaction, reaction lb and Ic. For most polymers, reaction le is rate determining and hence at normal oxygen pressures, the concentration of peroxyl radical (ROO ) is maximum and termination is favoured by reactions of ROO reactions If and Ig. 

Although these reactions are formulated as ionic reactions via 947 and 949, because of the apparent partial formation of polymers and inhibition of the fluoride-catalyzed reaction of pyridine N-oxide 860 with aUyl 82 or benzyltrimethylsilane 83 by sulfur or galvinoxyl yet not by Tempo, a radical mechanism caimot be excluded [61, 62]. The closely related additions of allyltrimethylsilane 82 (cf. Section 7.3) to nitrones 976 are catalyzed by TMSOTf 20 to give, via 977, either o-unsatu-rated hydroxylamines 978 or isoxazoHdines 979 (cf also the additions of 965 to 962a and 969 in schemes 7.20 and 7.21). 

In addition to this reaction, quinones and other alkyl radical acceptors retard polymer oxidation by the reaction with alkyl radicals (see earlier). As a result, effectiveness of these inhibitors increases with the formation of hydroperoxide groups in PP. In addition, the inhibiting capacity of these antioxidants grows with hydroperoxide accumulation. The results illustrating the efficiency of the antioxidants with cyclic chain termination mechanisms in PP containing hydroperoxide groups is presented in Table 19.12. The polyatomic phenols producing quinones also possess the ability to terminate several chains. 

Oxidative Polymerization Reactions. Clays can initiate polymerization of unsaturated compounds through free radical mechanisms. A free radical R", which may be formed by loss of a proton and electron transfer from the organic compound to the Lewis acid site of the clay or, alternatively, a free radical cation, R+, which may be formed by electron transfer of an electron from the organic compound to the Lewis acid site of the clay, can attack a double bond or an aromatic ring in the same manner as an electrophile. The intermediate formed is relatively stable because of resonance, but can react with another aromatic ring to form a larger, but chemically very similar, species. Repetition of the process can produce oligomers (dimers, trimers) and, eventually, polymers. 

Aromatic amines are known as to be efficient inhibitors of hydrocarbon and polymer oxidation (see Chapters 15 and 19). Aliphatic amines are oxidized by dioxygen via the chain mechanism under mild conditions [1,2]. Peroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals participate as chain propagating species in the chain oxidation of amines. The weakest C—H bonds in aliphatic amines are adjacent to the amine group. The bond dissociation energy (BDE) of C—H and N—H bonds of amines are collected in Table 9.1. One can see that the BDE of the N—H bond of the NH2 group is higher than the BDE of the a-C—H bond in the amine molecule. For example, DN = 418.4 kJ mol 1 and DC H = 400 kJmol-1 in methaneamine. However, the BDE of N—H bond of dialkylamine is lower than that of the C—H bond of... 

With tyrosinase, on the contrary, a two-electron oxidation occurs, as no EPR signal was detected in the catechol oxidation at pH 5.3 Melanins are polymerization products of tyrosine, whereby tyrosinase catalyses the first steps the formation of dopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) and of dopaquinone, leading to an indolequi-none polymer The peroxidase mechanism for the conversion of tyrosine into dopa in melanogenesis was not substantiated In natural and synthetic melanins free radicals of a semiquinone type were detected by EPR 4-10 x 10 spins g of a hydrated suspension (the material was modified on drying and the number of free spins increased). The fairly symmetrical EPR signal had a g-value of 2.004 and a line-width of 4-10 G The melanins seem to be natural radical scavengers. 

EPR spectroscopy is also frequently used in polymer science. Applications involve the detection of free radicals in cross-linking, high-energy irradiation, photochemical degradation and oxidation, and mechanical fracture of polymer chains. 

These investigations have demonstrated the successful application of cyclodex-trins in polymer synthesis in aqueous solutions via free radical polymerization or via a oxidative recombination mechanism. Some special aspects of cyclodextrins were found concerning the kinetics, chain transfer reaction, and copolymerization parameters [63],... 

Besides organic polymers, inorganic polymers also are susceptible to thermo-oxidative degradation. Nielsen describes the stabilization of silicone fluids with redox systems of iron and cerium by a free radical mechanism. When stabilized, these fluids show oxidative stability up to 700°F. 

Petcavich et al. (1978) employed IR subtraction techniques to elucidate the mechanism of the oxidative degradation of polychloroprenes at 60 °C. The spectra were taken at 60 2°C. The results lead to the conclusion that 1,2- and 3,4-structural irregularities are involved in the initial stage of the thermal oxidation of these compounds at 60 °C. In addition, a simple free radical mechanism seems to be consistent with the experimental results. The observed results suggest that polychloroprenes may be stabilized towards oxidative degradation by eliminating the 1,2- and 3,4-structures by chemical modification of the polymer after synthesis. 

Molecular oxygen is the major cause of irreversible deterioration of hydrocarbon substrates, leading to the loss of useful properties and to the ultimate failure of the substrate. The oxidation process of hydrocarbons is autocatalytic oxidation starts slowly, sometimes with a short induction period, followed by a gradual increase in the rate, concomitant with the build up of hydroperoxides, which eventually subside, giving rise to a sigmoidal oxidation curve. When initiators such as peroxides are present, the length of the induction period is absent, or very short, but it can be prolonged by antioxidants, as shown in Fig. 1. The basic autoxidation theory of hydrocarbons involves a complex set of elementary reaction steps in a free radical-initiated chain reaction mechanism the basic tenets of this theory apply equally to polymer oxidation. 

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