Question

In Organic Chemistry for the Preparation and Properties of Polymers Lab (using toluene, styrene, benzoyl peroxide, methanol, adipoyl chloride, cyclohexane, hexanediamine, sodium hydroxide, phthalic anhydride, sodium acetate, and ethylene glycol), please help answer the following question;

1. The observation between the two heated polyesters were different. What structural features account for the differences observed? (test tube 1 contained phthalic anhydride, sodium acetate and ethylene glycol and the second test tube contained phthalic anhydride, sodium acetate and glycerol.)

Answer 1

The structural features that account for the difference is the structure of alcohol in each test tube. In test tube 1 the alcohol is ethylene glycol and on another it is glycerol. Ethylene glycol is dihydroxy compound but glycerol is tri-hydroxy compound. So with reaction of phthalic anhydride they both will produce ester but in test tube 1 it will be diester and in test tube 2 it will be triester. Their mass will be different and so their properties.