Unsaturated polyester resins
I am planning out a personal project that has long been of interest. The project also motivates me to review/relearn basic chemistry and hopefully
leads me toward a career in chemical manufacturing. I've begun to review my organic chemistry lab manual and acquire tools/compounds to perform
experiments related to my goal.
Currently, I'm looking to focus on isophthalic resin, but also interested in epoxy and other adhesives. My goal is to produce small batches of iso
resin(100-500mL) from somewhat raw materials. I will be grateful for any guidance, textbook reference, industry experience.. ect. Most of all, please
let me know if there are any safety concerns, beyond common sense and labels.
From Wikipedia, iso resin, produced by a condensation reaction, will chemically consist of a glycol group, isophthalic acid, maleic acid, and the
final product diluted with styrene. I am working through the wiki references, among others, to understand better the effect of different diols and
compositions on the final product. I am having difficulty finding particular information on bringing the reaction together, but the overview of
esterification, distillation, and dilution of the final product.
My initial questions are:
Is it as simple as adding all components into a vessel to begin esterification? Are these reactions always going to be a batch process? Any standout
references on equipment design/configuration?
Are the basic general/organic chemistry textbooks going to contain the information on determining stoichiometry and reaction rates for this, or will I
need a polymer textbook? Any recommendations on polymer textbooks?
My next step will be working out the reaction process on paper. I will return with more questions and hopefully get feedback on my progress.
-ccChem
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