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Methyl Methacrylate Syrup: Partly Polymerised below 80 °C with Hydrogen Peroxide
Methyl methacrylate syrup is the monomer partly polymerised until it is thick: the stock that is poured between glass plates to cast acrylic sheet. ICI's Tattersall (US 2,071,907, 1937) heats the liquid monomer with a little catalyst, never above 80 °C, until it is syrupy, then cools it. His example used benzoyl peroxide and he names hydrogen peroxide as an alternative but gives no amount. Our choice: 14 g of 3 % hydrogen peroxide per kg of monomer, as many peroxide molecules as his 0.3 % benzoyl peroxide. Methyl methacrylate is flammable: no open flame.
The picture: our diagram.
Intermediate
Half a day
Instructions
1
1
Weigh monomer and peroxide
Weigh monomer and peroxide
Weigh liquid methyl methacrylate into a round-bottom flask and add 14 g of 3 % hydrogen peroxide per kg of monomer (our amount; the patent only says a relatively small amount).
Materials for this step:
Methyl Methacrylate1 kg
Hydrogen Peroxide (3%)14 gTools needed:
Round-Bottom Flask
Balance Scale
Chemical Splash Goggles
Rubber Gloves
Fume Hood (Ducted)2
2
Heat, never above 80 °C
Heat, never above 80 °C
Fit a reflux condenser and warm the flask in a water bath to near but not above 80 °C. Above 80 °C the finished sheet is not flawless; lower temperatures work but take longer.
Tools needed:
Round-Bottom Flask
Reflux Condenser
Water Bath
Hot Plate
Thermometer - LabFume Hood (Ducted)3
3
Stop when it is syrupy
Stop when it is syrupy
Check the thickness now and then with a glass rod. Stop when the liquid has become a syrup. The patent took its example to a molecular weight of 3000, measured by viscosity, and gives no time.
Tools needed:
Glass Stirring RodThermometer - Lab4
4
Cool to room temperature
Cool to room temperature
Cool the syrup to about room temperature (30 °C in the example) in cold water. It is then ready to pour between glass plates and cast into sheet.
Tools needed:
Water Cooling BathThermometer - LabRubber GlovesMaterials
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