Thermal decomposition products of polyisobutylene

Abstract

Abstract Polyisobutylene was decomposed at 325, 345, and 365°C under vacuum, and the volatile products were trapped by using liquid nitrogen. The products, C 1 –C 24 hydrocarbons, were analyzed by gas chromatography. The formation of the main products is discussed on the basis of a free‐radical mechanism. Intramolecular radical transfer can account for the production of most fragments including dimers, trimers, tetramers, and so on, of isobutylene.