Stabdlzatmn of polymers by phosphorous actd esters 429 reaction with AA. It is reasonable to assume that the factor responsible for the much lower molecular weight of the polymers prepared in presence of ammonia and of small caustic soda additions could well be an increase in the rate of NPA formation. Translated by R J. A. ~-.ENDRY REFERENCES 1. A. CHAPIR0, Radiation Chemmtry of Polymerm Systems, p 326, New York-London, 1962 2. A. D. ABKIN, A. P. SHEINKER, P. M. KHOMIKOVSKII, M. K. YAKOVLEVA, V. F. GROMOV, 8. P. TREMBACHEVA, I. A. YAKUBOVICH, P. I. PARADIYA, N. P. PASKHIN, M. P. VILYANSKII and V. G. NEgHOROSHEV, U.S S R Pat. 235997, 1966; Byul]. izob. No. 6; 1969, French Pat. 1466769 1966, 1492037, 1967; Ital Pat. 753476, 1967; 756445, 1967; U. K. Pat. 1106573, 1968 3. V. F. ,GROMOV, A. V. MATVEYEVA, P. M. ]g~HOMIKOVSKIIand A. D. ABKIN, Vysoko- mol. soyed. Ag: 1444, 1967 (Translated in Polymer Sci. U.S.S.R. 9: 7, 1616, 1967) 4. A, Kh. BREGER, V. A. BELYNSKII, V. L. KARPOV, 8. D. PROKUDIN and V. B. OSIPOV, Trudy Vsesovyuznoi konf. po primenemyu radioaktivnykh i stabil'nykh isotopov i lzlu- chenii v narodnom khozyaistve i nauke, (Trans. All-Union Conf. on Use of Radio-Active and Stable Isotopes and Emanations m the Sovmt Economy and in Research). p. 182, Izd. AN SSSR, 1958 5. U. S. Pat. 2663733, 1953 6. F. 8. DAINTON and M. TORDOFF, Trans. Faraday Soc. 53: 499, 1957 7. A. J. RESTAINO, R. B. MESROBIAN, H. MORAW]gTZ, D. 8. BJtLLkNTINA, D. J. DI~I~E~I and D. J. M]gTZ, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 78: 2939, 1956 8. V. F. GROMOV, P. M. KHOMIKOVSIII and A. D. ABKIN, Vysokomol. soyed. AI2: 767, 1970 (Not translated in Polymer Sci. U S.S R ) ON THE STABILIZATION OF POLYMERS BY PHOSPHOROUS ACID ESTERS* A. G. AKHMADUT.Lr~A, N. A. MUKME~EVA, P. A. KIRPICHNIKOV, N. S. KOLYUBA•rNA and D. G. POBEDIMSgn S. M. Klrov Kazan Chemmotechnologlcal Institute (Received 19 June 1972) Accelerated ageing was the l~nethod used for investigation of the antloxldatlve properties (the exmtenee of crltmal concentrations and the dmplaecment of the latter m the presence of a decomposer of hydroperoxldes) of phosplntes of the cyehc * Vysokomo]. soyed. A16: No 2, 370-375, 1974. 430 A.G. A~UT.T.r~A e~ a/. acid × CHs x (× =C(CH,)8) and its a-naphthyl and octyl esters; likewise the 2,3,6.tritert.butylphenylester of pyrocatechmphosphorous acld, trl-a-naphthylphospinte and the polyphospintes: H( --~--R-~O --O--P--If/n'where R=S, C(CHs)s. OCsHl~-mo The capacity of phosphorous acid esters for terminating kinetic chains or for suppressing branching during the oxidation of polymers was estlmated on the basts of an analysis of the results obtained by investigating model reactions of the phospintes with stable mtroxyl radicals or wtth mopropylbenzene hydroperoxlde to determine their stabilizing properties. Posmble mechanisms for the stabilizing action of nnxtures based on aromatic phospintes are proposed. MIXTU~S of some phospintes with phenohc lnhlinters of thermooxldatlve degradation of polymer exinint a marked synergetle effect [1-3]. On analysing the effect in question the rated authors [3] reached the conclumon that the scheme of oxidation of the Ingh molecular hydro- carbon m the presence of the minbltor of free radical action must include termination of kinetic chains on mlnbltor and the breakdown, practtcally without radmals, of hydroper. oxides of the polymer (1. e. the suppresmon of degenerate braneinng). From a knnetlc stand- point a scheme of tins type m borne out by the dmplacement of the critical conecntratlon of mhlbttor towards lower values m the presence of a phospinte (dlphenylmooctylphospinte) under conditions of mininted oxidation of polyprepylene (200 °, pol=300 torr). A further example illustrating the ability of phospintes to suppress degenerate brancinng came to light through the results obtained by authors [4] measuring the free radical yield m the reaction of dlphenyhsooctylphosplnte with a model substance, tert.butyl hydroperoxide (20 °, benzene, absence of Oi), who found that the yield was of the order of 10 -~. Finally, there is the fact that under conditions that generally result in a considerable rate of depoly- mertzatlon, the molecular weight remains practically constant in the presence of chphenyl- lseoctylphosphite (up to the moment of complete consumption of the phosphite), and tins too may be explained m terms of a mechanism of suppression of degenerate branching [5]. In view of thin one may assume that generally spcakmg the use of phospintes decom- posers of hydropcroxides will g~ve rise to the appearance of a synergetic effect. Moreover, it is known that complete aromatic phospintes may themselves terminate kinetic chains m the high temperature oxidation of polymers (180-200 °) by a radical ex- change rnechamsm [6] RO'2 A- (R'O)sP -* (R'O)2P(O)OR! A- R'O', × where RO', R'O'--an inactive resenance.stablhzed radical, such as -{-~--O" (here X and below × = (CHs)IC). Stabthzation of polymers by phosphorous acid esters 431 It was a reasonable supposition that some compositions consisting solely of phosphites acting at different levels might exhibit a non-additive action in the inhibition of polyolelins. Certainly we observed the synergism of mixtures based on di~erent aromatic phosphites during the oxidation of low density polyethyl- ene (200 °, po =250 torr). It was important to throw light on this effect, and to determine trends in the stabilizing behaviour of different phosphites. A further aim in our investigation was to estimate their ability to terminate kinetic chains, or suppress branching, in the light of our analysis of model "liquid phase" reac- tions of phosphites with stable nitroxyl radicals, or hydroperoxides, respectively. r~FERIMENTAL The following compounds were used as the starting materials * X × CHa--Q--0 0 CHs--X~l --0 -iCHt \/P (I), (II) ) I cm-O--o j × × X CH3--O--O i \ × ctt~ p-oc~-I~7 (III), (Iv) /,d---I X CHa__O__0// X CHa )I(O- -c-2--%-o-P-) (v), (VI) --N=/ ) --N=/ I " CtIs OCsH17-~so OCslhTqso O- OH OH // /,,~I I 1 (( ]~))/ (VII,, X//0 --CHs--//0 × (v.''> t CHs CHs 0 CH8 (xx), h- -oon %> &. OCxtH~ The phosphites were synthesized by the known method, and before being used were purified by vacuum dmtlllatlon or by reerystallization. Cumene hydroporoxlde was purified by the umml method, and was used at a concentration of 99.8 ~/o. The bmphenol and the ddaurylthiodipropionate were the commercial products. * The numbering of the produeta shown above corresponds to the ntunbors appearing in the diagran~. 432 A. G, ~DULLr~TA et al. A statm oxidizing apl~ratus was used fez" investigation of the stabilizing properties of the phosp]ntes and the rmxtures based on them. As a crl~ermn of e~ciency we took the length of the oxldatmn reduction permd v. In ]nvestlgatmns of the model reactmns of cu- mene hydroperoxide with aromatic phosphltes the radmal aeceptors method was used [4]; C(CHs)s / free mtroxyl radmals ~__~N--O" were used as counters of free radicals formed m the C(CHs)s model reactmns. The rate of decay of ~he mtroxyl radicals was dotormmed from changes m the EPR slgnal with time; a sample of Mn 2+ m MgO crystal was used as the reference sample Reactmus of the mtroxyl radmal with cyclic acid I were run in ampoules from which mr had been removed up to a residual pressure of ~ 5 × I0 -4 torr. ~', hp ~. Y~Y~YX / \ d - I \ 1 \ 2~ mln n 1170 - J 4 E ~0 - 810 - g -//j \ ~50 - 276 "- ;. 0 L t l l ~.01 0~3 005 8 c, mole/kG C. 10 $, mole/kg Fie. l. Plot oft for PELD vs. phosplnte concentration (a) and coneentratmn of the m~xture of irthlbltors (b). DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Investigation of the induction period in the oxidation of low:density poly- ethylene (PELD) relative to phosphite concentration (Fig. la) show that the phosphites differ in regard to their antioxidative properties. Most of the studied phosphites are characterized by the existence of upper and lower critical concen- trations (I-VI), which puts them in the category of medium-strength an~ioxi- dants [7]. At the same time trinaphthylphosphite VII, which did not exhibit Stabilization of polymers by phosphorous acid esters 433 any critical concentration, is a weak antioxidant. These data on the antioxidative properties of phosphoric acid esters provided a basis for the selection of compo- nents of the binary stabilizing mixtures. As may be seen from Fig. lb, a considerable synergetm effect was observed for the mixture of cyclic acid I with trinaphthylphosphite VII. Similar results were observed on replacing VII with a typical decomposer of hydroperoxides, di]aurylthlodipropionate IX, or on replacing I with a typical inhibitor of free-ra- dical action, A-22-46, keeping the total concentrations identical. This points to similarity of the stabilizing action of dilaurylthiodipropionate and trinaphthyl- phosphite, on the one hand, and of A-22-46 and the cyclic acid on the other hand. The proposed mechanism of the synergetlc action of the mixture in ques-, tlon is also confirmed from a kinetic standpoint by the displacement of the critical concentration of I m the presence of hydroperoxide decomposers VII and IX (Fig 2). Finally, the fact that the cyclic acid interacts with the model substance in the liquid phase means that this phosphite is capable of participa- 272117 4dd _ ,'27f I 200 0 2 4 6 C .fO ~, mole/h9 FIG. 2. Dmplacement of the cr,tmal concentration of I m the presence of VII and IX.