AbstractsChemistry

Three polymers were aged in several solvents at 6o 0c·with varying amounts of iron chloride added, in the presence of and absence of oxygen. The results showed that the phenomenon of viscosity instability is of a general nature, occurring with all polymers in all the solvents. Dissolved oxygen reacts with the polymers causing viscosity decreases. Iron salts catalyze this reaction, and also combine chemically with the polymer to cause viscosity increases and gel formation. That the above changes are due to a change in molecular weight of the polymers has been demonstrated by measurement of the intrinsic viscosities of recovered polymer samples. An interpretation of the change in the shape factor has been attempted.[...]