Molecular weight determinations of polyamides by N-trifluoroacetylation

Abstract

By N-trifluoroacetylation (TFA) polyamides become soluble in ordinary organic solvents such as acetone, butanone, methylene chloride, chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. In these solvents light scattering and osmotic measurements (membrane and vapour-phase osmometry) were carried out to determine the weight and number average degrees of polymerization. Comparison with the results on non-TFA-polyamides in various solvents clearly shows that no polymer degradation takes place. The [η]-P relationships of TrogamidR-TFA and nylon-6-TFA in tetrahydrofuran at 25°C were determined and corrected for polydispersity. © 1983.