PERMEATION OF ALKYLBENZENE ISOMERS OF MOLECULAR-WEIGHT-120 THROUGH NITRILE GLOVES

Factors determining the permeation of eight alkylbenzene isomers of mo lecular weight 120.19 (three ethyl toluenes, three trimethylbenzenes, and two propyl benzenes) were investigated for a lined nitrile industr ial type glove using an ASTM-type cell, liquid collection, and gas chr omatography/mass spectrometry. The initial permeation rate P-i correla ted inversely with the logarithm of the lag time t(l). The logarithm o f the steady-state permeation rate P-s correlated inversely with the l ogarithm of the breakthrough time t(b) P-s/P-i for a given compound co rrelated directly with P-s and with t(l)/t(b) P-i depended directly on the logarithm of the entropy of fusion divided by the square of the r efractive index and divided by the solubility parameter. The t(b) was inversely correlated to the logarithm of the water solubility. The log arithm of t(l) was most directly correlated to the entropy of vaporiza tion. High P-s for 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, m-ethyltoluene, and p-ethyl toluene was linked to a common structural similarity to 1,2,4-trimeth ylbenzene relative to the unhindered geometry of the methyl group in t he ethyl side chain. The existence of optimum radii of gyration for en hanced P-s and for long t(b) suggested that the protective properties of nitrile followed discontinuous relationships rather than continuous ones and so are not explainable by correlative relationships of conti nuous functions. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.