Disulfide interchange in polysulfide polymers

Abstract

Abstract A study has been made on the effect of thiols and disulfides on lowering the molecular weight of polysulfide polymers. It was shown that in the presence of aqueous sodium disulfide there is an interchange of chain segments. This effect is observable if a simple organic disulfide is present in the system, resulting in a lower molecular weight. Co‐polymers can be prepared by heating together in the presence of sodium disulfide, aqueous dispersions of two different polysulfide polymers. When thiols are present in the system, interchange of disulfide groups occurs in the absence of sodium disulfide. The results show that disulfide/disulfide redistribution and thiol/disulfide interchange take place in polysulfide polymers. The occurrence of these same reactions has recently been recognized by workers in the biochemical field. A literature survey of thiol/disulfide reactions showed that results formerly attributed to oxidation/reduction reactions could be also explained by an interchange mechanism.