I don't understand why kerosene is needed to polymerise styrene (phenylethene). Can someone pls 'enlighten' me on that?Quibbler - 29-7-2005 at 08:25
I don't think it is. In fact the difficulty with styrene is stopping it polymerizing. Leave it in a bottle for a few months - it won't come
out again.solo - 29-7-2005 at 17:19
Here is some infor on styrene's, which under high temp, polymerizing on it's own.........solo
Polystyrene and Styrene-copolymers
Applications, Synthesis and Kinetics
So is it true that the kerosene is TOTALLY unneeded??praseodym - 30-7-2005 at 02:40
So it can't be an initiator for the reaction or a catalyst??daeron - 30-7-2005 at 09:42
no way it is a initiator,my best guess is that it acts as a copolymer additive,sort of a Mw controll and maybe to help avoid the "gel
effect",yknow the self accleleration thingie(ohh i need a medal for the way i express myself,lol!).the mentioned synth is a stirene
polymerization in mass,right?if its a polymerisation in a solution than it acts as a solvent.
kerosene is a mixture not a pure compound and iso-alifatic and aromatic compounds dont act as initiators in any polymerization,at least i think so..
PS i havent read javas above posted links so this is maybe a doube post,or just a plain ol rant
[Edited on 30-7-2005 by daeron]praseodym - 31-7-2005 at 09:29
By having kerosene as a copolymer, wont the end-product be a polymer made up of kerosene and styrene?? As in the product will not be polystyrene??
Furthermore, how can polymerisation lead to the gel effect??
And why is a solvent needed during polymerisation??daeron - 31-7-2005 at 12:32
as i said i need to express myself more clearly-kerosene may act as a Mw control agent,to help avoid uncontrollable rxn rate increase,resulting in
-what do you call it the same thing happens during the vulcanisation of rubber-when chains bond via = bonds to form a net-like structure,and the
result is the "gel effect">extremly large Mw,extremly high viscosity,no liq state like quibbler said
Quote:
fact the difficulty with styrene is stopping it polymerizing. Leave it in a bottle for a few months - it won't come out again
a polimerization using solvents is often used when the monomer is soluble in the solvent and the polymer isnt or vice versa.if i remember correctly
polystyrene can be synth using polymerization in mass,solvent,emulsion,suspension...hmm did i miss one?
its so weird talking about chemistry not related to peas or tryps online...
anyways my guess its used as a solvent since its composition isnt constant,could you post the link to the procedure so we can clear it up? whats the
mech of the mentioned polymerization-free radical,kation,anion?praseodym - 31-7-2005 at 23:28
This is the only puicture given to me (look at attachment). And i was asked what is the use of the kerosene.
But i do agree on your point of view that the kerosene is mostly used as a Mw control agent or a solvent.praseodym - 7-8-2005 at 05:22
Now i have added a new attachment which is clearer and more accurate and specific than the previous one.
The question goes like this:
In a polymerisation reaction, about 10cm3 of styrene and kerosene are mixed and refluxed for 45 to 60 mins using the set-up illustrated in the
attachment. The temperature will be about 150 degrees Celsius. After cooling, the reaction mixture is poured into about 5 times its own volume of
methanol. A waxy white solid was formed under the surface of the methanol. But my question would be what is the use of using kerosene and the
'methanol treatment'?
Attachment: StyreneKerosene.doc (26kB) This file has been downloaded 768 times
