Rubber, synthetic polystyrene used

The largest user of phenol in the form of thermosetting resins is the plastics industry. Phenol is also used as a solvent and in the manufacture of intermediates for pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and dyestuffs. Styrene is used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber and polystyrene resins. Phthalic anhydride is used in the manufacture of DMT, alkyd resins, and plasticizers such as phthalates. Maleic anhydride is used in the manufacture of polyesters and, to some extent, for alkyd resins. Minor uses include the manufacture of malathion and soil conditioners. Nitrobenzene is used in the manufacture of aniline, benzidine, and dyestuffs and as a solvent in polishes. Aniline is used in the manufacture of dyes, including azo dyes, and rubber chemicals such as vulcanization accelerators and antioxidants. 

Anionic polymerization of polystyrene takes place very rapidly- much faster than free radical polymerization. When practiced on a large scale, this gives rise to heat transfer problems and limits its commercial practice to special cases, such as block copolymerization by living reactions. We employ anionic polymerization to make tri-block copolymer rubbers such as polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene. This type of synthetic rubber is widely used in the handles of power tools, the soft grips of pens, and the elastic side panels of disposable diapers. 

As of this date, there is no lithium or alkyl-lithium catalyzed polyisoprene manufactured by the leading synthetic rubber producers- in the industrial nations. However, there are several rubber producers who manufacture alkyl-lithium catalyzed synthetic polybutadiene and commercialize it under trade names like "Diene Rubber"(Firestone) "Soleprene"(Phillips Petroleum), "Tufdene"(Ashai KASA Japan). In the early stage of development of alkyl-lithium catalyzed poly-butadiene it was felt that a narrow molecular distribution was needed to give it the excellent wear properties of polybutadiene. However, it was found later that its narrow molecular distribution, coupled with the purity of the rubber, made it the choice rubber to be used in the reinforcement of plastics, such as high impact polystyrene. Till the present time, polybutadiene made by alkyl-lithium catalyst is, for many chemical and technological reasons, still the undisputed rubber in the reinforced plastics applications industries. 

It was not until after World War II, when styrene monomer capacity could be diverted from its essential wartime use for styrene-butadiene synthetic rubber, that polystyrene became an important commercial plastic. When the War fin-... 

An analysis of a solid waste generator has revealed that the waste is composed (by volume) of 20% supermarket waste, 15% plastic-coated paper waste, 10% polystyrene, 20% wood, 10% vegetable food waste, 10% rubber, and 10% hospital waste. What is the average density of this solid waste in Ib/yd Use the following as discarded waste densities (in Ib/yd ) for each of the components of the generator s waste supermarket waste, 100 plastic-coated paper waste, 135 polystyrene, 175 wood, 300 vegetable food waste, 375 rubber-synthetics, 1,200 and hospital waste, 100. 

OTHER COMMENTS used in the manufacture of plastics and synthetic rubber used as an insulating agent used in the manufacture of styrenated polyester, rubber-modified polystyrene, and copolymer resins used as a monomer for straight polystyrene chemical intermediate for styrenated phenols and styrene oxide used as a synthetic flavoring substance, e.g. for ice cream and candy also used to make paints.. 

A number of model in situ and on-site apphcations of low resolution, and therefore low cost, Raman spectroscopy have been reported including the quantitative monitoring of synthetic rubber and polystyrene emulsion polymerisations, detection of illicit drugs and explosives and detection of cyanide in wastewater using a surface enhanced Raman system [26]. 

Antioxidant an-te- ak-so-dont, ian- tI- (1926) n. A substance that slows down the oxidation of oils, fats, etc., and thus helps to check deterioration antioxidants are added commercially to foods, soaps, etc. Although the term technically applies to molecules reacting with oxygen, it is often applied to molecules that protect from any free radical molecule with unpaired electrons. Chemistry encyclopedia, www. ChemistryAbout.com. A substance incorporated in a material to inhibit oxidation at normal or elevated temperatures. Antioxidants are used mainly with natural and synthetic rubbers, petroleum-based resins, and other such polymers that oxidize readily due to structural unsaturation. However, some thermoplastics, namely polypropylene, ABS, rubber-modified polystyrene, acrylic and vinyl resins, also require protection by antioxidants for some uses. There are two main classes (1) Those inhibit oxidation by reacting with chain-propagating radicals, such as hindered phenols that intercept free radicals. These are called primary antioxidants or free-radical scavengers. (2) Those decompose peroxide into non-radical and stable products examples are phosphates and various sulfur compounds, e.g., esters of thiodipropionic acid. These are referred... 

Chemical Applications. Fluidized bed processing has become widely used in the chemical industry. It is important in particular for the synthesis of polyethylene and polypropylene, key basic plastics used for packaging, textiles, and plastic components. Fluidized bed reactors are used also for the industrial production of monomers such as vinyl chloride or acrylonitrile, which are both used to make plastics. These reactors are also employed to produce polymers such as synthetic rubber and polystyrene. The advantages of uniform heat transfer, great surface interaction, and transportation as fluid, whether in liquid or gaseous form, have made fluidized bed processing very valuable for contemporary chemical industry processes. 

Polystyrene (PS) is the fourth big-volume thermoplastic. Styrene can be polymerized alone or copolymerized with other monomers. It can be polymerized by free radical initiators or using coordination catalysts. Recent work using group 4 metallocene combined with methylalumi-noxane produce stereoregular polymer. When homogeneous titanium catalyst is used, the polymer was predominantly syndiotactic. The heterogeneous titanium catalyst gave predominantly the isotactic. Copolymers with butadiene in a ratio of approximately 1 3 produces SBR, the most important synthetic rubber. 

In a block copolymer, a long segment made from one monomer is followed by a segment formed from the other monomer. One example is the block copolymer formed from styrene and butadiene. Pure polystyrene is a transparent, brittle material that is easily broken polybutadiene is a synthetic rubber that is very resilient, but soft and opaque. A block copolymer of the two monomers produces high-impact polystyrene, a material that is a durable, strong, yet transparent plastic. A different formulation of the two polymers produces styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), which is used mainly for automobile tires and running shoes, but also in chewing gum. 

In 2002, the world production of polymers (not including synthetic libers and rubbers) was ca. 190 million metric tons. Of these, the combined production of poly(ethylene terephthalate), low- and high-density polyethyelene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polystyrene, and polyurethane was 152.3 milhon metric tons [1]. These synthetic, petroleum-based polymers are used, inter alia, as engineering plastics, for packing, in the construction-, car-, truck- and food-industry. They are chemically very stable, and can be processed by injection molding, and by extrusion from the melt in a variety of forms. These attractive features, however, are associated with two main problems ... 

About half of the styrene produced is polymerized to polystyrene, an easily molded, low-cost thermoplastic that is somewhat brittle. Foamed polystyrene can be made by polymerizing it in the presence of low-boiling hydrocarbons, which cause bubbles of gas in the solid polymer after which it migrates out and evaporates. Modification and property enhancement of polystyrene-based plastics can be readily accomplished by copolymerization with other substituted ethylenes (vinyl monomers) for example, copolymerization with butadiene produces a widely used synthetic rubber. 

There are three principal families of styrene containing polymers, which are used to make commercial plastic products. The first family is pure polystyrene, the second family comprises random copolymers, and the final family consists of polystyrene chains grafted to blocks of rubbery polymers. There are also synthetic rubbers that contain significant concentrations of styrene, but these are outside the scope of this book. 

Polymers are large, high molecular weight compounds formed by linking together many smaller compounds called monomers. The properties of the polymer are dependent on the monomer units used and the way in which they link together. Many polymers occur in nature such as cellulose, starch, cotton, wool, and rubber. Others are created synthetically, such as nylon, PVC, polystyrene, Teflon, and polyester. 

Whereas, at the beginning of the thirties, polystyrene had been the driving force in the styrene monomer and polystyrene fields, this development was soon reversed. Under Germany s efforts to become self-sufficient there was a much bigger demand for styrene monomer for the manufacture of synthetic rubber than for polystyrene. As early as 1938 approximately 2500 t of styrene monomer was produced in Ludwigshafen for the newly commissioned rubber plants. When the Allies were cut off from their Asian rubber plantations in the Second World War, the U.S.A. followed suit with large styrene monomer capacities for the manufacture of rubber. Thus there were big capacities for styrene monomer available by 1945 for other uses. 

Uses. Plastics and synthetic rubber are the major uses for styrene. They account for the exponential growth from a few million pounds per year in 1938 to more than 8 billion pounds today. The numerous plastics include polystyrene, styrenated polyesters, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), and styrene-butadiene (SB). Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) was a landmark chemical achievement when it was comrner-cialized during World War II. The styrene derivatives are found everywhere—in food-grade film, coys, construction pipe, foam, boats, latex paints, tires, luggage, and furniture. 

Uses Preparation of polystyrene, styrene oxide, ethylbenzene, ethylcyclohexane, benzoic acid, synthetic rubber, resins, protective coatings, and insulators. 

Uses. Comonomer for preparation of cross-linked polymers in production of ion exchange beads and gel permeation chromatography polystyrene beads polymerization monomer for synthetic rubber, drying oils, and casting resins... 

Materials that are constructed from organic polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene, polyisoprene (natural rubber and a synthetic elastomer) and poly(vinyl chloride) are common features of our daily lives. Most of these and related organic polymers are generated from acyclic precursors by free radical, anionic, cationic or organometallic polymerisation processes or by condensation reactions. Cyclic precursors are rarely used for the production of organic polymers. 

Butadiene is used primarily in the production of synthetic rubbers, including styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene nibber (BR), styrene-butadiene latex (SBL), chloroprene rubber (CR) and nitrile rubber (NR). Important plastics containing butadiene as a monomeric component are shock-resistant polystyrene, a two-phase system consisting of polystyrene and polybutadiene ABS polymers consisting of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene and a copolymer of methyl methacrylate, butadiene and styrene (MBS), which is used as a modifier for poly(vinyl chloride). It is also used as an intermediate in the production of chloroprene, adiponitrile and other basic petrochemicals. The worldwide use pattern for butadiene in 1981 was as follows (%) SBR + SBL, 56 BR, 22 CR, 6 NR, 4 ABS, 4 hexamethylenediamine, 4 other, 4. The use pattern for butadiene in the United States in 1995 was (%) SBR, 31 BR, 24 SBL, 13 CR, 4 ABS, 5 NR, 2 adiponitrile, 12 and other, 9 (Anon., 1996b). 

Benzene is used as a chemical intermediate for the production of many important industrial compounds, such as styrene (polystyrene and synthetic rubber), phenol (phenolic resins), cyclohexane (nylon), aniline (dyes), alkylbenzenes (detergents), and chlorobenzenes. These intermedi-... 

Polymers are very large molecules made up of repeating units. A majority of the compounds produced by the chemical industry are ultimately used to prepare polymers. These human-made or synthetic polymers are the plastics (polyethylene, polystyrene), the adhesives (epoxy glue), the paints (acrylics), and the fibers (polyester, nylon) that we encounter many times each day. It is difficult to picture our lives without these materials. In addition to these synthetic polymers, natural polymers such as wood, rubber, cotton, and wool are all around us. And, of course, life itself depends on polymers such as carbohydrates, proteins, and DNA. This chapter discusses synthetic polymers. Naturally occurring polymers are presented in Chapters 25, 26, and 27. 

The largest use for styrene (over 70%) is to make homopolymer polystyrene. The U.S. production volume reached 6.3 billion lb in 1998. Other major uses are in plastics, latex, paints, and coatings, synthetic rubbers, polyesters, and styrene-alkyd coatings. In these applications styrene is used in copolymers... 

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