Journal
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
Volume 91, Issue 1, Pages 131-135Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/ed400185u
Keywords
Second-Year Undergraduate; Organic Chemistry; Laboratory Instruction; Polymer Chemistry; Catalysis; Esters; Green Chemistry; Polymerization; NMR Spectroscopy; Material Science
Funding
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency [MPCA-37277]
- University of Minnesota Center for Sustainable Polymers
- NSF Center for Chemical Innovation [CHE-1136607]
- Margaret A. Cargill Scholarship Fund
- Division Of Chemistry
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1136607] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The importance of green syntheses and sustainable polymers is highlighted in a new experiment developed for incorporation into the introductory organic chemistry laboratory curriculum. delta-Decalactone, a naturally occurring cyclic ester used by the food and flavor industry for its coconut fragrance and taste, is polymerized under acidic conditions with a diol initiator. The solvent-free, room-temperature reaction conditions result in a viscous homopolymer from-which the catalyst is easily removed. Subsequent chain extension of this homopolymer with the renewable monomer L-lactide, followed by purification, isolation, and annealing in an aluminum pan, affords a block copolymer product as a transparent, flexible film. Well-resolved resonances in the H-1 NMR spectrum of the individual polymer repeat units facilitate quantitative analysis of polymer composition and molecular weight determination. This experiment introduces students to structures and fundamental concepts of polymer chemistry and exemplifies modern advances in sustainable,materials.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available