Polyvinyl chloride chemical reactivity

Compared with tar, which has a relatively short lifetime in the marine environment, the residence times of plastic, glass and non-corrodible metallic debris are indefinite. Most plastic articles are fabricated from polyethylene, polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride. With molecular weights ranging to over 500,000, the only chemical reactivity of these polymers is derived from any residual unsaturation and, therefore, they are essentially inert chemically and photochemically. Further, since indigenous microflora lack the enzyme systems necessary to degrade most of these polymers, articles manufactured from them are highly resistant or virtually immune to biodegradation. That is, the properties that render plastics so durable... 

Widespread chlorine-containing polymers would include, 1) stable molding material for practical use such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride and poly(epichlorohydrin)(PECH) and, 2) reactive polymers capable to introduce additional functional groups via their active chlorines such as chloromethyl polystyrene, poly (3-chloroethyl vinyl-ether) and poly (vinyl chloroacetate). While the latter, especially the chloromethyl polystyrene, has been widely used recently for the synthesis of variety of functional polymers, we should like to talk in this article about the chemical modification of the former, mainly of PVC and PECH, which was developed in our laboratory. 

Chlorine is very much utilized in the synthesis of organic chemicals. If one or more hydrogen atoms are substituted with chlorine in molecules like ethene, propene, benzene and toluene, it will be possible to accomplish syntheses that are not possible with the original molecules with their low reactivity. The final products, such as for instance silicones, polyurethanes and polycarbonates, contain no chlorine, as the substituted element reacts to chlorides of hydrogen or sodium and leaves the reaction. However, important syntheses are also performed, in which chlorine stays in the product. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is an example. 

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