Chlorination of Natural Rubber in Solution with Gaseous Chlorine

Abstract

Abstract The chlorination of rubber solutions by gaseous chlorine was followed by isolating the partially chlorinated products and preparing their ozonides. The ozonides were hydrolyzed, and the acids and aldehydes formed on hydrolysis were determined. By a comparison with the amounts of acids and aldehydes obtained from ozonides of unreacted rubber, the amount of residual isoprenic double bonds present was found. The loss of double bonds attending the introduction of chlorine atoms into the molecule of rubber indicates four definite stages in chlorination : (1) initial substitutive attack by chlorine, with concomitant cyclization, resulting in a loss of one double bond between two isoprenic units, (2) substitution, (3) additive reaction, and (4) essentially substitution. Chlorination of aged rubber solutions differs from the above in that the cyclization reaction (stage 1) seems to be absent.