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A kinetic study of the oxidative degradation of phenol‐formaldehyde polycondensates using infrared spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Conley Robert T.,
Bieron Joseph F.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1963.070070115
Subject(s) - formaldehyde , chemistry , phenol , reactivity (psychology) , photochemistry , infrared spectroscopy , benzophenone , activation energy , methylene , reaction mechanism , permanganate , kinetics , quinone , organic chemistry , polymer chemistry , catalysis , physics , quantum mechanics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Abstract The oxidative degradation of cured phenolic resin has been investigated by continuous monitoring of the infrared spectral changes occurring in the solid phase at temperatures between 140 and 220°C. The postulated mechanism for oxidation of methylene bridge linkages activated by adjacent phenol rings has been substantiated on the basis of rate differences observed on changing the phenol‐formaldehyde ratios. This process is general as shown by a proportional decrease in oxidation on examination of a typical bisphenol‐formaldehyde polycondensate. The formation of quinoid species and their oxidation to acid and quinone fragments are in good agreement with the kinetic data and the mechanism proposed earlier. Attempts to polarographically detect differences in reactivity due to the position of the benzophenone linkage and the phenolic hydroxyl indicated that no major observable differences could be observed in the solid phase. The apparent initial activation energy of oxidation is of the order of 19 kcal.