Study on the modification of soluble poly(epichlorohydrin) with 2‐mercaptoethanol and thioglycolic acid

Abstract From 1‐chloro‐2,3‐epoxypropane (epichlorohydrin), soluble poly(epichlorohydrin)s were prepared with molar masses in the range of 3,7 · 104 to 1,7 · 105 g/mol, using a complex of epichlorohydrin with hexaamminecalcium. These poly(epichlorohydrin)s were modified by reaction with 2‐mercaptoethanol or thioglycolic acid. The yields of these reactions range between 40 and 60%. The drop of molecular weight due to modification oscillate between 3,8 and 48,1%. The structure of the modified polymers was confirmed by elemental analyses, thermogravimetric and mass spectroscopic investigations. These chemical modifications carried out with poly(epichlorohydrin)s lead to water‐soluble products.