ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

The thermal degradation of polystyrene

O. Kyseľ

Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava

Abstract: The mechanism of the thermal degradation of polystyrene was studied by gas chromatography. Chromatograms of the formation of C₆H₆, PhMe, PhEt, styrene, CH₄, C₂H₆, and C₂H₄, and the relation to time and temp. were shown. In the pyrolysis of polystyrene, the 2 macroradicals I and II are depolymerized with the formation of as much as 80% styrene. I also decomp. into Ph radicals that, with the H of the macromol. chain, form C₆H₆. I also forms an isomer which decomp. into Me radicals and combines with Ph radicals to form PhMe. PhEt is formed by reaction of the Ph radical with C₂H₄ and subsequent removal of a H atom from the macromol. Kinetic parameters were detd. for the formation of styrene from polystyrene during pyrolysis at 320-60°. The activation energy in sec.-1 was given by the equation k = 2.5 × 10¹⁶ exp(52,000/RT). The exptl. value agrees with the theoretical value.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 196a490.pdf (in Slovak)

Chemical Papers 19 (6) 490–496 (1965)