Abstract
Thermal decomposition and hydrolysis of polycarbonate were studied. A large part of the gases which were evolved from polymer during the thermal decomposition reaction was carbon dioxide. The decomposition of polymer was accelerated at higher temperature, and in this case the evolution of methane was observed. Bisphenol A was extracted by methanol-benzene from the decomposition products and the residues were insoluble in methylene chloride. This result suggests the occurence of the degradation and the crosslinking in polymer chain during the decomposition reaction. From the rate of evolution of CO2, the activation energies were calculated as about 21 kcal/mol.
Bisphenol A was quantitatively obtained by the hydrolysis of polycarbonate. And the rate determining step of hydrolysis was the swelling or dissolving of polycarbonate. Dilute mineral acids were non-reactive to the hydrolysis of polycarbonate, and NaOH and NH4OH especially effective.
