KINETIC-STUDY OF POLYESTERIFICATION - UNSATURATED POLYESTERS

Synthesis of unsaturated polyesters using adipic acid, ethylene glycol , and fumaric acid in the absence and presence of a foreign acid (phos phoric acid) as catalyst was carried out by a two-stage method under c onstant reaction temperatures of 160-180 degrees C and at different ra tios of diol to diacid. The experimental data fit the Chen-Wu rate equ ations for self-catalyzed and acid-catalyzed reactions. The reaction r ate constants and activation energies for both systems were calculated . The rate constants of fumaric acid-ethylene glycol systems were foun d to be nearly constant and had negligible variations with increasing chain length of polymer. (C) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.