Polyesterification With Monomers in Stoichiometric Ratios

Question

Polycondensation

(a) Assume a polyesterification is conducted in the absence of solvent or catalyst and that the monomers are present in stoichiometric ratios. Calculate the time (min) required to obtain a number-average degree of polymerization of 50given that the initial dicarboxylic acid concentration is 3 mol L^-1 and that the polymerization rate constant is 10^-2 L mol^-1 s^-1.

(b) Plot the maximum number-average degree of polymerization X_n against various molar ratios r of carboxylic acid and alcohol for a range of different ratios. (Choose the sensible ratios r yourself)

(c) We add now various amounts of the following compounds to the mixture:

 

·    What structure would your polymer have?
·    What do you need to consider if you want to achieve high molecular weights?
·    How does the amount of this multifunctional compound influence the structure and solubility of the final product?

Summary

The question belongs to Chemical Engineering and the question is about polycondensation. The question discusses polyesterification with monomers in stoichiometric ratios and the structure of the polymer thus obtained. The solution discusses this in detail.

Total Word Count 151