Abstract
In the presence of water or catalysts giving off water, caprolactam is polymerized by several reaction mechanisms taking place simultaneously. It was investigated whether the formation of polyamide takes place according to a polycondensation or polyaddition mechanism in the presence of phosphoric acid. In order to prove the polycondensation mechanism, the formation at 250°C. of a mixed anhydride from the carboxylic acids and the orthophosphoric acid was studied. N‐phosphoryl aminocaproic acid has also been synthesized. No catalytic effect was exerted by this compound; on the basis of this fact it can be stated that in the case catalysis by orthophosphoric acid, the increase of the polyamide chain does not take place according to a polycondensation mechanism. The adduct of caprolactam and orthophosphoric acid is able to catalyze the polymerization of caprolactam. Polymerizations carried out at temperatures ranging from 170 to 200°C. proved that the acid—amide bond of the caprolactam ring is weakened by the phosphoric acid, thereby rendering possible the polymerization to take place at a lower temperature. At elevated temperatures (exceeding 160°C.), the ammonium salts of phosphoric acid undergo dissociation; thus, free orthophosphoric acid is always present in the mixture undergoing polymerization. Due to the dissociation at higher temperatures, the phosphoric acid yields a product having higher molecular weight than at lower temperatures. It has been established that the rate of polymerization is directly proportional to the square root of the molar concentration of the free orthophosphoric acid. The activation energy of the polymerization catalyzed by phosphoric acid was 46 kcal./mole.