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ANNUAL INTERIM REPORT September 15, 1968 to National Aeronautics and Space Administration Contract NSR-10-005-047 SYNTHESIS OF ELASTOMERS FOR USE WITH LIQUID FLUORINE Henry C. Brown A. R. Mukherjee . Submitted by Department of Chemical Engineering Florida Engineering and Industrial Experiment Station Unhersi t of Florida Gainesvi rle, Florida ANNUAL INTERIM REPORT September 15, 1968 to National Aeronautics and Space Administration Contract NSR- 10-0 0 5- 0 4 7 SYNTHESIS OF ELASTOMERS FOR USE WITH LIQUID FLUORINE Henry C. Brown A. R. Mukherjee Submitted by Department of Chemical Engineering Florida Engineering and Industrial Experiment Station University of Florida Gainesville, Florida TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I . INTRODUCTION......................................... 1 I1 . DISCUSSION .......................................... 4 A . Homopolymerization of Hexafluorobutyne-2 ........ 4 1. By Co60 y-radiation ......................... 4 2 . By agents generating chlorine radicals ...... 2 3 . By hexafluoropropylene epoxide or hexa- fluoropropylene epoxide ..................... 9 4 . By acid fluorides derived from hexafluoro- propylene epoxide ........................... 10 5 . By chlorodifluoroacetonitrile............... 12 6 . Conclusion .................................. 12 €3 . Some Studies on the Initiation Mechanism of 2.3.Dichloro.l.l.l.4.4.4.hexafluoro. 2.butene .... 13 1. Ultraviolet absorption spectra of 2.3.d i. chloro.l.l.l.4.4.4.hexafluoro. 2.butene ...... 13 2 . Effect of ultraviolet radiation intensity on photolysis of 2.3.dichloro.l.l.l.4.4. 4. hexafluoro-2-butene ......................... 13 3 . Effect of temperature on the dichloro-com- pound initiated polymerization process ...... 16 4 . Attempted initiation by the dichloro-compound in presence of Co60 y radiation ............. 16 C . Effectiveness of Chlorine Gas as an Initiator in the Presence of Ultraviolet Radiation ........ 17 D . Initiator Selectivity of Hexafluorobutyne-2 ..... 18 E . Attempted Copolymerization of Hexafluorobu- tyne-2 .......................................... 20 1. With tetrafluoroethylene .................... 20 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd') PAGE E. Attempted Copolymerization of Hexafluorobu- tyne-2 (Cont'd) .............................. 25 2. With chlorotrifluoroethylene ............. 25 3. With hexafluorobutadiene-l,3 ............. 26 4. With perfluoroheptene-1 .................. 26 5. With hexafluoroacetone.................... 27 F. Attempted Copolymerization of Tetrafluoro- ethylene and Perfluorobutyronitrile .......... 27 G. Attempted Polymerization of Perfluorobuta- diene with Sulfur Tetrafluoride.............. 29 H. Synthesis of Perfluoroalkylisocyanates and Their Reaction with Ammonia............ ...... 30 1. Perfluoroalkyl hydroxamic acids.......... 30 2. Perfluoroalkyl isocyanates ............... 31 3. Characterization of the isocyanate-ammonia addition products. ....................... 32 111. EXPERIMENTAL..................................... 34 A. Attempted Homo-, Co-or Terpolymerization Experiments with Hexafluorobutyne-2 .......... 34 B. Synthesis of Perfluoroalkylisocyanates and Their Reaction with Ammonia.................. 35 1. Preparation of perfluoroalkyl hydroxamic acids...... .............................. 35 2. Preparation of perfluoroalkyl isocyanates 38 a. Monoisocyanates ...................... 38 b. Attempted preparation of perfluoro- glutarodiisocyanate .................. 44 3. Reaction of isocyanates with ammonia..... 45 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) PAGE IV* TABULAR SUMMARY OF RESULTS....................... 51 Table I. Homopolymerization of Hexafluoro- butyne-2 (HFB-2) ...................... 51 Table 11. Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on 2,3-Dichloro-l,l,l,-4,4,4-hexa- fluoro-2-butene....................... 54 Table 1II.Use of Chlorine Gas as an Initiator... 55 Table IV. Inhibiting Action of CF,NO and CF,I ... 56 Table V. Attempted Co- or Terpolymerization of Hexafluorobutyne-2 using the Dichloro- Compound as an Initiator.............. 57 Table VI. Attempted Copolymerization of HFB-2 using Acid Fluorides, Derived from Hexafluoropropylene Epoxide, as Initiators............................. 63 I. INTRODUCTION The objective of this research is the synthesis of elastomeric polymers that will be resistant to the strong oxidizing effect of fluorine, oxygen difluoride, nitrogen te- troxide and similar agents. In addition,the desired material should be flexible at cryogenic temperatures. During the present contract period the work on this project has been devoted principally in two areas: (a) to find suitable initiators for homo or copolymerization of hexa- fluorobutyne-2 under milder conditions; [b) synthesis of per- fluoro mono- and diisocyantes from the corresponding hydrox- amic acids, their purification and attempted synthesis of new monomers of general type R CF=N-C-N (R =F,CF,, C,FS, etc.) from F F the monoisocyantes. Previously it was known that hexafluorobutyne-2 could be homopolymerized in high yields to an insoluble, in- fusible polymer only under the influence of high dose rate y-radiation at or above room temperature. The present work in- dicates that chlorine radicals, generated by ultraviolet radia- tion from chlorine, 2,3-dichlorohexafluorobutene, dichloro- hexafluorocyclopentene or carbon tetrachloride can initiate polymerization and that the process is rapid and efficient. Acid fluorides of varying molecular weight, generated by keeping hexafluoropropylene epoxide in contact with finely divided acti- vated carbon, under ultraviolet radiation are capable of initia- ting homopolymerization of hexafluorobutyne, the polmrization 1 being quick and efficient. Hexafluoropropylene epoxide or hexa- fluoroacetone have a marked influence on homopolymerization of hexafluorobutyne-2 under y-radiation, but under ultraviolet ra- diation, the effect is not pronounced. Attempted copolymerization of hexafluorobutyne-2 with trifluoronitrosomethane in the presence of the .above initiating agents failed. This indicates that trifluoronitrosomethane be- haves as an inhibitor in such systems, as does trifluoromethyl iodide. Attempts have been made to determine the limiting con- ditions for initiation of polymerization of hexafluorobutyne-2 in presence of 2,3-dichloro-l,l,l-4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene (initiator). From our experiments, it seems probably that hexa- fluorobutyne-2 is most susceptible to the attack of chlorine radicals. Photolysis of the dichloro-compound under a medium intensity ultraviolet lamp at or above room temperature has, to date, been found to be the most effective method of initiation for polymerization of hexafluorobutyne-2. Attempted copolymerizations of hexafluorobutyne-2 with a number of possible comonomers have produced several types of polymers under different reaction conditions. The dichloro-com- pound has been used as initiator in most of the reactions. The rates of polymerization and yields in the presence of comonomers 2 have almost always been found to be lower than those for homo- polymerization of hexafluorobutyne-2. Attempted copolymerization of perfluoronitrile and tetrafluoroethylene under ionic conditions has not been success- ful to date. In accordance with the proposed scheme of synthesis, (Ref: NSR-10-005-047, Annual Interim Report, Sept. 1967), three isocyanates(RFN=C=O FFbeing CF3, C2F5 and C3F7) have been pre- pared through the corresponding hydroxamic acid route and the isocyanates have been thoroughly purified. However, reactions of the isocyanates with ammonia, the next step in the proposed synthesis, have resulted in the formation of a number of pro- ducts; separation of the products in pure form has not yet been possible except for the C3F7NC0 and ammonia reaction products, where one of the products has been isolated in pure form. We have also prepared perfluoroglutaro hydroxamic acid for synthesis of the corresponding diisocyanate. Attempts have also been made to polymerize perfluoro- butadiene with sulfur tetrafluoride in presence of cesium fluo- ride catalyst. To date, a high boiling liquid and some water insoluble solid have been found to be only products; neither has been properly chara.%erized to date. 3 I1 DISCUSSION A. Homopolymerization of Hexafluorobutyne-2 1. By Co60 y-radiation As regards polymerization capability, hexafluorobutyne may be considered to be a fairly inert monomer. Previously it was reported a sufficiently pure monomer could be almost com- pletely polymerized only by many hours of Co60 y-irradiation of high dose rate (10,000-25,000 r/min>. Co60 y-irradiation of lower dose rates (d2000 r/min) even for 85 hrs polymerized it only to the extent of 14%. Ultraviolet irradiation (100 or 550 W lamp, high pressure) seemed to have little or no effect at all on hexafluorobutyne-2 in a Vycor or Pyrex vessel, polymeri- zation proceeding only to the extent of 4-10% for many hours of irradiation. A pure hexafluorobutyne-2 sample is characterized by its infrared peaks at 4.0-4.211, 4.65-4.8511, 5.0811 and 6.311 and no other peaks in the higher energy region; it has a very strong characteristic peak at 11.0511. 2. By agents generating chlorine radicals The impurities present in the crude hexafluorobutyne-2 have been found to have a profound influence on its polymeriza- tion capability. A crude monomer having an extra infrared peak at 5.8, was found to undergo quick polymerization to the extent of 40-50% under ultraviolet radiation in a Vycor or Pyrex vessel; 4 the remaining gas did not show the 5.811 peak. The polymer was a mixture of polyhexafluorobutyne-2 (as