Styrene → Benzene, ethenyl-, polymer with 1,3-butadiene

Participants

Reaction Steps

A one gallon stainless steel reactor equipped with a stirrer blade is charged with 95 grams of 1,3-butadiene and 19 grams of styrene in 2,000 grams of n-hexane. One-half millimoles of TPPO are added and the temperature is adjusted to 100° C. One millimole of n-butyllithium is added to the mixture in the reaction vessel. Polymerization is completed within 30 minutes with the final maximum reaction temperature reaching 130° C. After termination of the reaction, 0.5 percent by weight of an antioxidant, di-tert-butyl-p-cresol ("IONOL"), based on the reaction mixture, is added to the mixture which is coagulated in isopropanol and drum dried to remove the solids. The initial monomer charge underwent a 93 percent conversion to form the product butadiene-styrene copolymer containing 40.9 percent of 1,2-microstructure and 19.4 percent of styrene as determined by IR spectroscopy.

Provenance & Evidence