How do you make polystyrene from styrene?
Polystyrene is made in a process known as suspension polymerization. After styrene is produced by combining ethylene and benzene, it is merged with water and a mucilaginous substance to form droplets of polystyrene.
What type of polymerization produces polystyrene?
free radical polymerization
Polystyrene is easily manufactured by the free radical polymerization of styrene using free-radical initiators (Figure 6.31). Styrene with or without diluents is mixed with a free radical initiator like dibenzoyl peroxide and heated to a temperature of 120°C.
How do you polymerize styrene?
Styrene readily polymerizes to polystyrene by a relatively conventional free radical chain mechanism. Either heat or initiators will begin the polymerization. Initiators thermally decompose, thereby forming active free radicals that are effective in starting the polymerization process.
How are polystyrene sheets made?
EPS is a rigid, closed cell, thermoplastic foam material. It is produced from solid beads of polystyrene. Expansion is achieved by virtue of small amounts of gas contained within the polystyrene bead. The gas expands when heat in the form of steam is applied, thus forming closed cells of EPS.
What natural resources are used to make polystyrene?
The raw materials from which it is made are hydrocarbons (ethylene and benzene) that come from petroleum and natural gas. Polystyrene is a plastic — meaning that when it is heated, it takes a liquid form that can be molded, shaped or extruded.
What is runway polymerization?
By John Papiewski. A runaway polymerization is a potentially dangerous reaction in which chemical products form with excessive speed, producing heat that may lead to an explosion or other hazards.
What is the chemical formula for polystyrene?
(C8H8)nPolystyrene / Formula
Does styrene undergo addition polymerization?
Cationic Addition Polymerization : In the case of vinylic monomers containing electron donating groups, electron density on double bonded carbon will be more and it can easily be attacked by H+ so as to undergo cationic polymerization. …