Polymer Synthesis and Characterization

Dr. Stanley R. Sandler won the R&D 100 Award offered by the industry in 1990 for a significant commercial process to prepare an important organic intermediate. In addition to this honor, he has over 100 publications involving patents, books, an encyclopedia article, several journal articles, and he is currently a referee for several journals. Sandler received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Penn State University. Wolf Karo was a winner of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. He holds a number of patents, and has been active in developing applications of monodispersed microspheres in diagnostic testing and other areas of biotechnology. Karo received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University.

• Polymer Syntheses: A. Polymerization of Styrene: Experiment 1: Preparation of Polystyrene by the Free Radical Polymerization Process. Experiment 2: Preparation of Polystyrene by the Emulsion Polymerization Process. Experiment 3: Preparation of Polystyrene by the Anionic Polymerization Method. Experiment 4: Preparation of Polystyrene by the Cationic Polymerization Process. B. Polymerization of Acrylic Esters: Experiment 5: Bulk Photopolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate: A Test Tube Demonstration. Experiment 6: Suspension Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate. Experiment 7: Redox Emulsion Polymerization of Ethyl Acrylate. C. Polyamides: Experiment 8: Preparation of Poly(hexamethylene sebacamide)(Nylon 6-10) by the Interfacial Polymerization Technique. D. Polyesters: Experiment 9: Preparation of Poly(1,4-butylene isophthalate). E. Epoxy Resins: Experiment 10: Preparation of A Cured Epoxy Resin by the Room Temperature Reaction ofBisphenol A Diglycidyl Ether with Polyamines. F. Vinyl Acetate Polymers and Reactions: Experiment 11: Seed Emulsion Terpolymerization of Vinyl Acetate, Butyl Acrylate, and Vinyl Neodecanoate with Gradual Monomer and Initiator Additions. Experiment 12: Preparation of Poly(vinyl alcohol) by the Alcoholysis of Poly(vinyl Acetate). Polymer Characterization: Experiment 13: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Experiment 14: Infrared Spectroscopy. Experiment 15: Thermogravimetric Analysis. Experiment 16:Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Experiment 17: Dilute Solution Viscosity of Polymers. Experiment 18: Gel Permeation Chromatography. Experiment 19: Light Scattering. Experiment 20: End Group Analysis. Experiment 21: X-Ray Diffraction. Experiment 22: Optical Microscopy. Experiment 23: Dynamic Mechanical Analysis. Subject Index.

"...recommended for organizers of practical courses in polymer chemistry and for the students taking part in these courses. It provides useful advice on planning and managing appropriate experiments, and gives a comprehensive introduction to important techniques for polymer synthesis and characterization. A very positive feature is the clear writing style and the straightforward approach to concepts and procedures." --ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE, Vol. 38, No. 18, 1999