The Lability of Sulfur Atoms in Vulcanization
Abstract The application of the isotope method to the investigation of the mechanism of the action of accelerator and vulcanizing agents has made it possible to look at this question in quite a new light. With the help of the isotope S it has been demonstrated that in the process of curing there takes place a continuous exchange of atoms of sulfur in the structure of the accelerators, and of elementary sulfur as a vulcanizing agent, with the formation of unstable intermediate compounds. The sulfur thus liberated undoubtedly has high energy, as a result of which it combines rapidly with the rubber. It must be remembered in this connection that the reacting elementary sulfur is an eight-membered S8 ring, while the sulfur liberated from the sulfur containing compounds has the open chain structure: