Rubber and Thioglycolic Acid
Abstract Based on its behavior toward halogens, hydrogen halides, nitrous acid, ozone and hydrogen, rubber has one double bond for each C 5H 8 group. One would therefore expect that it would be possible to obtain from the addition products of these substances new compounds which would throw considerable light on the constitution of rubber. With the exception of the ozonides, however, this is true only to a very limited extent, a fact which depends in part upon the almost complete lack of water-soluble derivatives suitable for further reactions. It is true that the bromide of rubber can be converted by phenols into alkali-soluble compounds, but the carbon bonds of the compounds appear to be formed not only between the components but also by a closing of the ring within the rubber skeleton. Moreover in the transformation of the bromide by triethyl phosphine cyclicization appears to take place. In view of this, the constitution of these derivatives indicates that further work with them would be to little purpose, and as a matter of fact until now almost nothing of any great interest has appeared.