Studies on the synthesis of a methacrylate‐based dental restorative resin

Abstract

Abstract The synthesis of bisphenol A–glycidyl methacrylate (BIS–GMA), the resin component in most dental composite restorative materials, catalyzed by different tertiary amine accelerators such as N , N ′‐dimethyl‐ p ‐toluidine (DMPT), N , N ′‐dimethylamino phenethyl alcohol (DMAPEA), and N , N ′‐dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) is reported in this work. The effect of varying concentrations of accelerators and the reaction conditions of the synthesis as a function of time is studied in detail. The kinetics of the reaction between epoxide and carboxyl group during the formation of BIS–GMA is monitored using infrared (IR) and chemical techniques. The reaction is found to follow first‐order and zero‐order kinetics with respect to epoxide and acid, respectively. The degree of epoxide and acid conversion has been calculated as a function of time. The percentages of various isomers, formed under different reaction conditions have been reported. Characterization procedures for BIS–GMA have been developed.