ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTIVE DEGRADATION OF POLYDIPHENYLPROPANCARBONATE

For the first time the possibility of the electrochemical transformati on of polydiphenylpropancarbonate (PC) at a cathode is established. El ectrochemical properties of PC in dimethylformamide in the presence of 0,05 M N(C4H9)(4)ClO4 has been investigated. It is found that PC is r educed in two irreversible stages with subsequent decrease of its mole cular mass and formation in the macromolecules of new functional group s. On the whole, the process may be determined as an electrochemical r eductive degradation (ECRD). On the basis of the complex investigation of (ECRD) peculiarities of PC it is established PC electrochemical tr ansformations at a cathode proceed by two quite different mechanisms. The first one realizes due to an electron transfer from a cathode surf ace on electronoacceptor links of the macromolecules. The second one i s caused by the charged and neutral nucleophile particles, which appea r at electrochemical reduction of the background solution.