Quantitative Analysis of Styrene Monomer in Styrene/Butadiene Latexes Using Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract

A simple rapid method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of styrene monomer in butadiene/styrene latexes using Raman spectroscopy. The latex samples were sealed in capillary tubes and scanned under high resolution conditions using a Spex Ramalog 1401 with a Spectra Physics 2 W argon ion laser. The Raman method involves ratioing the olefinic C=C (1632 cm⁻¹) band of styrene monomer to the trans 1:4 C=C (1668 cm⁻¹) band of butadiene in the butadiene/styrene polymer. Typical samples were found to have as low an unreacted styrene concentration as 0.7 wt. %. Reproducibility between samples was found to be within 0.1%. The values of residual styrene obtained by the Raman technique agreed within 0.25% with those obtained by liquid chromatography.

Keywords

Raman spectroscopy Styrene/butadiene latex Quantitative analysis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Wexler

A. S.

, Anal. Chem. 36, 1829 (1964).

Haslam

Willis

H. A.

, and Squirrell

D. C. M.

, Identification and Analysis of Plastics (Butterworth, London, 1972), p. 446.

Gesner

B. D.

, Appl. Polymer Symp. 7, 53 (1968).

Miller

R. G. J.

and Willis

H. A.

, J. Appl. Chem. 6, 385 (1956).

Koenig

J. L.

, Appl. Spectrosc. Rev. 4, 233 (1971).

Boerio

F. J.

and Yuann

J. K.

, J. Polymer Sci. Polymer Physics Ed. 11, 1848 (1973).

Meeks

and Koenig

J. L.

, J. Polymer Sci. A-2 9, 717 (1971).

Sloane

H. J.

and Bramston-Cook

, Appl. Spectrosc. 27, 217 (1973).