UNIVERSITY KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL AND

BIOENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

LATEX SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY LAB REPORT

EXPERIMENT 5: TO FORMULATE
AND PREPARE PREVULCANIZED
LATEX
PREPARED BY:

MOHD HAFEEZ SAMSUDIN

55100204002
SECTION 1A

Experiment 5: To Formulate And Prepare Prevulcanized Latex 1

RESULT AND DATA

Dry weight of dispersion in 100g of latex:-

10% Potassium laurate = (wet weight of dispersion / latex amount) dispersion %

= (2.6/100) x 10
= 0.26g

10% Potassium hydroxide = (wet weight of dispersion / latex amount) dispersion %

= (2.5/100) x 10
= 0.25g

50% Sulphur = (wet weight of dispersion / latex amount) dispersion %

= (2.0/100) x 50
= 1.0g

50% ZDEC = (wet weight of dispersion / latex amount) dispersion %

= (1.0/100) x 50
= 0.5g

50% Zinc Oxide = (wet weight of dispersion / latex amount) dispersion %

= (0.4/100) x 50
= 0.2g

Fraction of dispersion when dispersed into 1000g of latex with 60% of TSC:-

10% Potassium laurate = (10/1000) x 60

= 60

10% Potassium hydroxide = (10/100) x 60

= 60

50% Sulphur = (50/1000) x 60

= 3g

50% ZDEC = (50/1000) x 60

=3

50% Zinc Oxide = (50/1000) x 60

=3

Amount of dispersion dispersed into 1000g of latex:-

10% Potassium laurate = (dry weight x fraction of dispersion)

= (0.26g x 60)
= 15.6g
10% Potassium hydroxide = (dry weight x fraction of dispersion)
Experiment 5: To Formulate And Prepare Prevulcanized Latex 2
 = (0.25g x 60)
= 15g

50% Sulphur = (dry weight x fraction of dispersion)

= (1.0g x 3)
= 3g

50% ZDEC = (dry weight x fraction of dispersion)

= (0.5g x 3)
= 1.5g

50% Zinc Oxide = (dry weight x fraction of dispersion)

= (0.2g x 3)
= 0.6g

DETERMINATION OF CHLOROFORM NUMBER DATASHEET

Time (min) Chloroform number

0 1
10 1
20 1
30 2
40 2
50 2
60 2
70 3
80 3
90 3
100 3
110 4
120 4

Chloroform number

4.5
C hlo ro fo rm num ber

4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Time (min)

Experiment 5: To Formulate And Prepare Prevulcanized Latex 3

DISCUSSION

From the result obtained shows that the chloroform numbers which indicate the degree of
cross linking prevulcanized latex is lightly vulcanized at the 30 minute and at 70 minutes
the latex moderately vulcanized. The latex started to fully vulcanize at 110 minutes. The
heat is supplied to the latex by water bath along the experiment. Every 10 minutes during
the experiment, a small amount of latex is taken out to determine the chloroform number
and sample of swelling experiment. When taking for the swelling sample the formation of
bubble must be avoided.

The appearance or the degree of cross linking process varies with the times because from
time to time the sulphur will “tied up” between the latex particles due to the force of the
spinner that mean from time to time the amount of sulphur will decrease. The spinning of
the spinner increase the collision of the sulphur with the latex particles which will
homogenize the cross linking process. While the heat is an additional agent to increase
the rate of cross linking process by heating the bottom of the beaker, sedimentation of
sulphur can be avoided. The formation of bubble must be avoided for swelling samples
because swelling process will involve the measurement of very thin layer of dried
prevulcanized latex. The formation of bubbles will tremendously affect the thickness of
dried prevulcanized latex.

CONCLUSION

Prevulcanized latex is produced in liquid form by adding the vulcanizing agent to the
latex. The chloroform number is tested in order to determine the degree of the cross
linking. This is important because by determining the chloroform number, the condition
of the cross linking process can be acknowledge whether the latex is already complete
vulcanized or not.

TUTORIALS

1. Plot a graph chloroform number against reaction time and comment on the results.

Refer result and data

2. Identify the function of each compounding ingredients in the formulation.

The function of:-

a) Potassium laurate – emulsifying agent (surfactant)
-disperse immiscible liquids in to the latex

b) Potassium hydroxide – protective colloid (surfactant)

- Dispersion and emulsion stabilizer

c) Sulphur – vulcanizing agent

- produce cross linking to the latex

d) ZDEC – accelerator
Experiment 5: To Formulate And Prepare Prevulcanized Latex 4
 - control the rate of cross linking process produced by sulphur

e) Zinc Oxide – activator

- activating the accelerator

Experiment 5: To Formulate And Prepare Prevulcanized Latex 5