SEDL / STP / STP89-EB / STP43952S

The Mode of Attack of Oxygen on Rubber

Neal, A. M.
Assistant Director of the Rubber Laboratory and Research Chemist, Jackson Laboratory, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del

Vincent, J. R.
Assistant Director of the Rubber Laboratory and Research Chemist, Jackson Laboratory, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del

Pages: 9    Published: Jan 1949

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Abstract

It has long been recognized that rubber, because of its unsaturation, is degraded by atmospheric oxygen, and, in contrast with most unsaturated materials, a very small degree of oxidation is sufficient to destroy its characteristic properties.

The oxidation of rubber, whether vulcanized or unvulcanized, is a complicated process, involving several reactions, each of which is influenced differently by conditions. The existence of more than one reaction is illustrated by reference to the influence of: (1) a given material on raw and vulcanized rubber, (2) chemicals on mill breakdown, (3) different antioxidants in an otherwise similar stock, (4) combinations of metal catalysts, (5) oxygen pressure on the temperature coefficient of the oxidation, (6) temperature on the amount of oxygen required for degradation, and (7) different aging conditions.