Peroxides from autoxidized methyl oleate and linoleate as initiators in the preparation of butadiene-styrene synthetic rubber†

In the dextrose-free recipe at 41°F. for the copolymerization of butadiene and styrene, using 6 × 10−4 mole of initiator per one hundred grams of monomers, methyl oleate peroxide (MOP) and methyl linoleate peroxide (MLP) gave higher polymerization rates and conversions than cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), and they gave as high rates of conversion as p-menthane hydroperoxide (PMHP). In the peroxide-dextrose recipe at 122°F., at both low and high dextrose levels, only about one-half as much MOP (1.5 × 10−4 mole) as CHP or PMHP was employed on a molar basis to achieve the same conversion and polymerization rate. In the low dextrose-redox recipe at 41°F., using 6 × 10−4 mole of initiator per one hundred grams of monomers, MLP gave slightly higher conversions than CHP or PMHP, but in the amine recipe at 41°F., MLP gave lower conversions.