Polyolefins reactions

Free-radical polyolefin reactions form polymers with many mistakes in addition to the ideal long-chain alkanes because of chain-branching and chain-termination steps, as discussed. This produces a fairly heterogeneous set of polymer molecules with a broad molecular-weight distribution, and these molecules do not crystallize when cooled but rather form amorphous polymers, which are called low-density polyethylene. 

In the previous sections polyolefin reactions were shown to occur by addition of a free radical across a double bond or by adding across a double bond in an organometaUic complex. This creates an unpaired electron at the end of the chain that reacts with another double bond. The olefin molecules are considered to be inert in reactions with each other, and the process terminates when reactive free radicals are quenched by reaction with each other or by other reactions that produce stable molecules. In these processes the growing polymer can react only with the monomer. 

J.B.P. Soares, T.F.L. McKenna, Polyolefin Reaction Engineering, 1st edn. (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co., KGaA, Weinheim, 2012)... 

Manipulation of PSDs is generally attained through modification of surfactant concentrations (mostly in emulsion polymerizations) [48,49], agitation speeds (mostly in suspension polymerizations) [50], and initial catalyst size distributions and reaction times (residence time distributions in continuous reactors, mostly in coordination polymerizations) [51]. Effects of agitation speeds and surfactant concentrations on the PSD of polymer particles produced in suspension and emulsion polymerizations are discussed in detail in Chapters 5 and 6, respectively. When the catalyst is fed into the reactor as a solid material, as in typical polyolefin reactions, then the residence times and the initial PSD of the catalyst particles are used to manipulate the PSD of the final polymer product. Similar strategies are used in seeded emulsion polymerizations, where an initial load of preformed particles can be used to improve the control over the concentration of polymer particles in the latex and over the PSD of the final polymer product. 

Soares, J.P.B., McKenna, T.F., 2012. Polyolefin Reaction Engineering. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. 

Innovene is also the name of the petrochemicals business that BP estabUshed in 2004 and sold to INEOS in 2005. Soares, J.B.P. and McKenna, T.EL., Polyolefin Reaction Engineering, WQey-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2012, 124. 

In order for a soHd to bum it must be volatilized, because combustion is almost exclusively a gas-phase phenomenon. In the case of a polymer, this means that decomposition must occur. The decomposition begins in the soHd phase and may continue in the Hquid (melt) and gas phases. Decomposition produces low molecular weight chemical compounds that eventually enter the gas phase. Heat from combustion causes further decomposition and volatilization and, therefore, further combustion. Thus the burning of a soHd is like a chain reaction. For a compound to function as a flame retardant it must intermpt this cycle in some way. There are several mechanistic descriptions by which flame retardants modify flammabiUty. Each flame retardant actually functions by a combination of mechanisms. For example, metal hydroxides such as Al(OH)2 decompose endothermically (thermal quenching) to give water (inert gas dilution). In addition, in cases where up to 60 wt % of Al(OH)2 may be used, such as in polyolefins, the physical dilution effect cannot be ignored. 

Other than fuel, the largest volume appHcation for hexane is in extraction of oil from seeds, eg, soybeans, cottonseed, safflower seed, peanuts, rapeseed, etc. Hexane has been found ideal for these appHcations because of its high solvency for oil, low boiling point, and low cost. Its narrow boiling range minimises losses, and its low benzene content minimises toxicity. These same properties also make hexane a desirable solvent and reaction medium in the manufacture of polyolefins, synthetic mbbers, and some pharmaceuticals. The solvent serves as catalyst carrier and, in some systems, assists in molecular weight regulation by precipitation of the polymer as it reaches a certain molecular size. However, most solution polymerization processes are fairly old it is likely that those processes will be replaced by more efficient nonsolvent processes in time. 

The metal coordination complexes of both sahcylaldehyde phenyhiydrazone (91) and sahcylaldoxime provide antioxidant (92) protection and uv stabihty to polyolefins (see Antioxidants). In addition, the imines resulting from the reaction of sahcylaldehyde and aromatic amines, eg, p- am in oph en o1 or a-naphthylamine, can be used at very low levels as heat stabiLizers (qv) in polyolefins (93). 

Thermal, Thermooxidative, and Photooxidative Degradation. Polymers of a-olefins have at least one tertiary C-H bond in each monomer unit of polymer chains. As a result, these polymers are susceptible to both thermal and thermooxidative degradation. Reactivity in degradation reactions is especially significant in the case of polyolefins with branched alkyl side groups. For example, thermal decomposition of... 

Some of the most difficult heterophase systems to characterize are those based on hydrocarbon polymers such as mbber-toughened polypropylene or other blends of mbbers and polyolefins. Eecause of its selectivity, RuO staining has been found to be usehil in these cases (221,222,230). Also, OsO staining of the amorphous blend components has been reported after sorption of double-bond-containing molecules such as 1,7-octadiene (231) or styrene (232). In these cases, the solvent is preferentially sorbed into the amorphous phase, and the reaction with OsO renders contrast between the phases. 

Degradation of polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, and polybutadiene promoted by metals and other oxidants occurs via an oxidation and a photo-oxidative mechanism, the two being difficult to separate in environmental degradation. The general mechanism common to all these reactions is that shown in equation 9. The reactant radical may be produced by any suitable mechanism from the interaction of air or oxygen with polyolefins (42) to form peroxides, which are subsequentiy decomposed by ultraviolet radiation. These reaction intermediates abstract more hydrogen atoms from the polymer backbone, which is ultimately converted into a polymer with ketone functionahties and degraded by the Norrish mechanisms (eq. 

Mixtures of a titanium complex of saturated diols, such as TYZOR OGT, and a titanium acylate, such as bis- -butyl-bis-caproic acid titanate, do not have a yellowing or discoloring effect on white inks used to print polyolefin surfaces (506). The complexes formed by the reaction of one or two moles of diethyl citrate with TYZOR TPT have an insignificant color on their own and do not generate color with phenol-based antioxidants (507). The complexes formed by the addition of a mixture of mono- and dialkyl phosphate esters to TYZOR TBT are also low color-generating, adhesion-promoting additives for use in printing polyolefin films (508). 

Polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene contain only C—C and C—H bonds and may be considered as high molecular weight paraffins. Like the simpler paraffins they are somewhat inert and their major chemical reaction is substitution, e.g. halogenation. In addition the branched polyethylenes and the higher polyolefins contain tertiary carbon atoms which are reactive sites for oxidation. Because of this it is necessary to add antioxidants to stabilise the polymers against oxidation Some polyolefins may be cross-linked by peroxides. 

Azocarbonamide (I) Carbonamide N2, CO, CO2 190-230 220 Most widely used blowing agent in PVC and polyolefins. High decomposition temperature reduced by a variety of metal salts and oxides such as lead carbonate, lead phosphite and zinc oxide. High gas yield. Reaction products show little odour or discoloration. ... 

There are two great families of synthetic polymers, those made by addition methods (notably, polyethylene and other polyolefines), in which successive monomers simply become attached to a long chain, and those made by condensation reactions (polyesters, polyamides, etc.) in which a monomer becomes attached to the end of a chain with the generation of a small by-product molecule, such as water. The first sustained programme of research directed specifically to finding new synthetic macromolecules involved mostly condensation reactions and was master-... 

Cyanoacrylate adhesives cure by anionic polymerization. This reaction is catalyzed by weak bases (such as water), so the adhesives are generally stabilized by the inclusion of a weak acid in the formulation. While adhesion of cyanoacrylates to bare metals and many polymers is excellent, bonding to polyolefins requires a surface modifying primer. Solutions of chlorinated polyolefin oligomers, fran-sition metal complexes, and organic bases such as tertiary amines can greatly enhance cyanoacrylate adhesion to these surfaces [72]. The solvent is a critical component of these primers, as solvent swelling of the surface facilitates inter-... 

Alkyl-9-borabicyclo[3.3. IJnonanes in oxidation reactions leading to polyolefins 99JOM(581)176. 

T. C. Chung, New utilities of metallocene catalysts and borane reagents in the functionalization and block/graft reactions of polyolefins, MetCon 95 Proceedings, USA, May 1995. 

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