Polymer Lab Report

Experiment: Emulsion polymerization of

Polystyrene
Karim Akar, Husein Nasrallah, Sara Yehya, Ali Al
Mazbouh
Aim:
To synthesize polystyrene by free radical emulsion polymerization. This method
is experimented to enable the control of heat produced by highly exothermic
occurring, as well as to control the degree of polymerization DPn.

Experimental Procedure:
To an Erlenmeyer flask, add approximately 19.5 ml water , 3.25 ml NaHPO 4 ,
and agitate for 5 minutes. After that, add 0.05g of potassium persulfate and stir
for an extra 5 minutes. Then, 0.35g of emulsifier SDS is added and mixed with
the reaction mixture. Heating continues until reaching a temperature of 65
degrees. Once desired temperature is reached, attach condenser, and add 11
ml of styrene (density=0.86), and continue heating for 45mins-1hr. After that,
stop the heating and add 1.6 grams of aluminum sulfate and stir for about 3
minutes. Finally, take the contents of the flask and pour into a beaker
containing 500ml ethanol where then suction filtration is done to collect our
desire polymer precipitate. Rinse to collect all remaining contents in the
beaker.
Results:
After filtration and drying of product, the measure mass of produced
polystyrene was 1.17 grams.
Questions:
1) Initial mass of styrene mstyrene= Vadded x density = 11 x 0.86 = 9.46 g
2)
Mass SDS (g) 0.15 0.25 0.35 0.4
Mass product(g) 0.76 0.91 1.17 4.31
[SDS] x 10-3 15.4 25.6 35.9 41
Ln [SDS] -4.1 -3.6 -3.3 -3.19
% Yield 8.03 9.61 12.36 45.5
Ln (% Yield) 2.08 2.26 2.51 3.81

Ln(DPn) vs Ln(SDS)
4.5
4
y = 1.4393x + 7.771 3.5
3
Ln(DPn)

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-4.3 -4.1 -3.9 -3.7 -3.5 -3.3 -3.1 -2.9 -2.7 -2.5
Ln(SDS)

Ln(DPn)= lnK + αLn(SDS)

Equation of this straight trendline: y=1.4393x + 7.771
α=1.43, Lnk= 7.771
3) The mechanical properties of styrene are:low density making it lightweight,
can be rigid and stiff, has good tensile strength, and also a moderate elastic
modulus indicating its ability to deform under stress and return to original
shape. For the its thermal properties, it is a good thermal insulator, and having
a glass transition temperature of around 100 OC and is flammable.
4) Polystyrene finds uses and application in various fields and industries, such
as:
In packaging materials that use expanded polystyrene known as foam, in
insulation material as we have included that it is a good thermal insulator, in
toys and models as it is easily molded to shapes, in the production of
disposable food service items such as cups, plates, bowls, and also in
construction and medical appliances as well.