
4: POLY(PHENYLENE ETHER)S 107
Table 4.2 Rate of Polymerization of PPE with
Promoters [17]
mol%
Xylenol
a
Intrinsic Viscosity (dl g
−1
),
After
60 min 90 min 120 min
0.00 0.25 0.44 0.55
1.20
b b
0.12
0.16 0.27 0.58 0.72
0.08 0.27 0.52 0.67
0.04 0.26 0.51 0.68
0.02 0.29 0.51 0.62
2.00
b b b
Xylenol concentration 17%, at 30
◦
C. Molar ratio, Xylenol:
CuCl
2
NaBr : dibutylamine
=
200:1:2:12.
a
Moles per mole of copper salt, Methyltri-n-octylammonium
chloride.
b
No polymer.
polymerization reaction. The lower oxygen concentra-
tion in the head space of the reactor helps in reducing
the risk of fire or explosion in the reactor. The faster
initial reaction rate with the copper catalyst ...