Nylon
8.6
Introduction:
This reaction is a polycondesnation reaction where one molecule
of A reacts with one molecule of B. Then the AB reacts with
another A, then another B, and so on and so on to form a
polychain of repeating AB units: ABABABABABABABABAB... Nylon
is one of the first as well as one of the largest commercially
produced synthetic polymers. It is used in clothes, rope,
bags, etc. The reaction is as follows:
Materials:
- Solution A: .1 moles of sebacoyl chloride
in 500mL of hexanes.
- Solution B: .25 moles of 1,6 hexanediamine
in 500mL of .5 M NaOH
- A pair of 100mL beakers
- Metal forceps
- A glass rod
Procedure:
Pour ~30mL of solution A into the 100mL beaker. In the second
100mL beaker, pour an equal amountof solution B. Slowly
pour the solution A from the first beaker down the tilted
glass slid of the second beaker that contains solution
B, making sure a two layer solution is formed. With the
metal forceps, grabl the film at the interface of the two
solutions, slowly pulling the thread of nylon out of the
beaker. Wrap the nylon thread around a glass stir rod to
wind/spool more and more of the polymer from the container.
Wash the spooled nylon with copious amounts of water.
Safety:
- HCl is produced in the reaction, so make
sure to wear gloves and goggles at all times.
- Also, because
of the HCl, make sure the nylon is washed thoroughly with
a lot of water before letting the students/audiance touch
it.
- A vapor will form when mixing the two solutions,
so do the reaction in a well ventilated area.
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