Trimer extraction from polystyrene

Commercial polystyrenes are normally rather pure polymers. The amount of styrene, ethylbenzene, styrene dimers and trimers, and other hydrocarbons is minimized by effective devolatilization or by the use of chemical initiators (33). Polystyrenes with low overall volatiles content have relatively high heat-deformation temperatures. The very low content of monomer and other solvents, eg, ethylbenzene, in PS is desirable in the packaging of food. The negligible level of extraction of organic materials from PS is of cmcial importance in this appHcation. 

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