Observations on the Crosslinking of Natural Rubber with Nitrosophenols and Diisocyanates
Abstract 1. The vulcanization system based on nitrosophenols (quinone monoximes) is not primarily based on the formation of a urethane group. Evidence is presented that the crosslink consists of carbon—carbon, carbon—sulfur, and urea groups. Urea groups can be identified in reaction products which also contain the free phenol group of the nitrosophenol (oxime); urethane groups are identified in products which also contain quinone groups. 2. The presence of zinc dithiocarbamate is conducive to the formation of the amino group which is the functional group on which the crosslinking reaction with diisocyanate is based. The dithiocarbamate also acts as a sulfur donor. The dialkyl amino group of the dithiocarbamate is bound into the network. 3. Nitroso compounds which have no tautomeric oxime structures show no vulcanization in combination with free diisocyanate. 4. The level of vulcanization of various substituted phenols, when used in combination with a diisocyanate precursor, is dependent on their thermal decomposition termperatures, but such a dependence is not apparent when these compounds are used in combination with free diisocyanate. 5. A reaction mechanism is suggested for the vulcanization with oximes and diisocyanates which does not require the splitting of their adducts into their components but instead into ionic fragments. This mechanism explains why monoximes lead to vulcanization whereas nitroso compounds do not. 6. Attempts to effect premature vulcanization should be directed towards delaying the formation of the diisocyanate/oxime adduct since it provides the vulcanization-active intermediates. Towards this goal it has been shown that a diisocyanate precursor can be applied but then a thermally stable nitroso compound (oxime) is required. 7. Tautomerism between O-derivatives of oximes, nitrones, and oxaziridines can be assumed to provide a working hypothesis for the discovery of new N-O-containing crosslinking agents for unsaturated polymers.