Oxidative Scission of Natural Polyisoprenes in Solution

Abstract Polyisoprenes are oxidized by a chain reaction in which a large number of oxygen molecules are absorbed for each reaction chain started. During the oxidation, scission of the polymer backbone takes place. Using solutions of natural rubber and gutta percha, measurements of the relative amounts of oxygen absorbed and scission produced indicate that most scission occurs during propagation of the oxidation chain. However, more detailed analysis of the data indicates that scission also occurs nearly every time an oxidation chain is terminated.