The Swelling of Latex
Abstract The swelling phenomena of latex in organic liquids such as benzene, toluene, or xylene were studied. As factors in the swelling power the following were observed: (1) the ammonia content of the latex; (2) the formation of a boundary layer in the surface of contact of both liquids. Ammonia-rich latex on contact with aromatic hydrocarbons forms a boundary layer which in turn swells, with a great increase in volume. Latex poor in ammonia forms no boundary layer and therefore does not swell. On the other hand, the hydrocarbon may diffuse into the latex without disturbing the Brownian movement. Subsequently the diffused hydrocarbon is able to bring about the swelling of the individual latex particles.