A Vibrational Spectroscopic Analysis of the Structure of Natural Rubber

Abstract

Abstract It is not an overstatement to say that natural rubber (NR) is one of the most used polymers. There are numerous studies dealing with the structural aspects of rubber which give rise to its elastic property. However, it should be emphasized that the majority of these studies are generally concerned with rubber in the vulcanized state or, in fact, dealing with the vulcanization process. Relatively few studies have actually been directed at a better understanding of the composition, structure, and properties of raw rubber. This area of study is also important because the composition and the structure of NR differ from synthetic polyisoprene in that the presence of functional groups on main chains and nonrubbery materials, such as proteins, can significantly affect the rheological properties and the processing conditions of rubber before the vulcanization process. Raw rubber can be divided into two different fractions, sol (soluble part) and gel (insoluble part). Of course, this definition depends somewhat on the solvent used. Even though the main chain in both portions of rubber are chemically similar, their significantly distinct mechanical properties have, in fact, been attributed to the nonrubbery materials such as proteins interacting with isoprene chains. It is generally accepted that the amount of nonrubbery materials in the gel fraction is much higher than the sol fraction. The protein apparently interacts quite strongly with specific functional groups on the isoprene chain and is difficult to remove from the gel phase by physical means. It is probable that the different properties between sol and gel rubber is due to the amount of crosslinking of the main chains, but several aspects of the structure need to be answered in greater detail. We know, for example, that the amount of gel fraction can change as a function of extraction solvent. Therefore, one cannot conclude that the interaction between rubber chains even in the gel fraction is strictly chemical in nature. Our premise is that the protein is an important component connecting the isoprene chains.