Phenol formaldehyde resin 400339 221572012 2008-06-25T02:57:40Z 69.129.3.216 /* External links */ {{Merge|Phenolic resin|Talk:THIS PAGE#Merger proposal|date=December 2007}} {{Unreferenced|date=July 2007}} [[Image:Bakelit Struktur.png|thumb|right|300px|Example of a possible structure in a PF resin.]] The earliest commercial synthetic [[resin]] is based on a '''Phenol formaldehyde resin''' (PF) with the commercial name [[Bakelite]], and is formed from an [[elimination reaction]] of [[phenol]] with [[formaldehyde]]. Phenol is reactive towards formaldehyde at the ''ortho'' and ''para'' sites (sites 2, 4 and 6) allowing up to 3 units of formaldehyde to attach to the ring. This forms a hydroxymethyl phenol. The hydroxymethyl group is capable of reacting with either another free ortho or para site, or with another hydroxymethyl group. The first reaction forms a [[methylene]] bridge, and the second forms an [[ether]] bridge. Phenol formaldehyde resins, as a group, are formed by a [[step-growth polymerization]] reaction which may be either [[acid]] or [[Base (chemistry)|base]] catalysed. The pathway the reaction follows varies depending on the [[catalyst]] type used. ==Acid catalysed== Acid catalysed phenol formaldehyde resins are made with a molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol of less than one and are called novolacs. Owing to the molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol, they will not completely [[polymerization|polymerize]] without the addition of a [[crosslinking agent]]. Novolacs are commonly used as [[photoresist]]s. See also [[photolithography]]. ==Base catalysed== Common cross-liner used for this resin is paraformaldehyde. Base catalysed phenol formaldehyde resins are made with a formaldehyde to phenol ratio of greater than one (usually around 1.5). Phenol, formaldehyde, water and catalyst are mixed in the desired amount, depending on the resin to be formed, and are then heated. The first part of the reaction, at around 70 °C, forms hydroxymethyl phenols. This results in a thick reddish-brown goo, the resin. The rate of the base catalysed reaction initially increases with [[pH]], and reaches a maximum at approx. pH = 10. The reactive species is the phenolic [[anion]] formed by deprotonation of phenol. The negative charge is [[delocalised]] over the [[aromatic ring]], activating sites 2, 4 and 6, which then react with the formaldehyde. Formaldehyde in solution does not exist as the aldhehyde, but instead a dynamic equilibrium is formed creating a range of methylene glycol oligomers, and the concentration of the ''reactive'' form of formaldehyde depends on the exact conditions (temperature, pH) under which the reaction occurs. Thus the reaction [[rate law]] describing phenol and formaldehyde is not a simple one, and the [[chemical kinetics]] are highly complex. Hydroxymethyl phenols will crosslink on heating to around 120 °C to form methylene and methyl ether bridges. At this point the resin is starting to crosslink, to form the highly extended 3-dimensional web of [[covalent bond]]s which is typical of polymerised phenolic resins. It is this highly crosslinked nature of phenolics which gives them their hardness and their good thermal stability and which makes them impervious to most chemical attack and solvation. It is also the reason they are called [[thermosetting plastic|thermosets]]. ==Crosslinking and the phenol/formaldehyde ratio== Phenol can react with formaldehyde at any one of three possible sites, and formaldehyde can react with up to two phenols. Thus the theoretical functionality of phenol is three and the theoretical functionality of formaldehyde is two. The actual functionality that is found in the polymer depends on the phenol:formaldehyde ratio. By adding a small amount of acid catalyst to phenol (something [[Wiktionary:miscible|miscible]], such as [[P-Toluenesulfonic acid|''p''-toluenesulfonic acid]]) and slowly adding formaldehyde, the formaldehyde will react between two phenols to form a methylene bridge, creating a [[dimer]]. This dimer is the substance [[bisphenol F]], which is itself an important monomer in the production of [[epoxy resins]]. At higher concentrations of these dimers, there is the possibility of generating trimers, tetramers and higher oligomers. This is what occurs during the formation of bakelite. The average molecule generated depends on the ratio of formaldehyde to phenol. In bakelite this is usually around 0.8, and so, with 5 phenols for every 4 formaldehydes the ''average'' molecule is a pentamer (with respect to phenol). When the molar ratio of formaldehyde:phenol reaches one, in theory every phenol is linked together via methylene bridges, generating one single molecule, and the system is entirely crosslinked. This is why bakelites (F:P <1) don't harden without the addition of a crosslinking agent, and why resins with the formula F:P >1 will. ==External links== *[http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/PH/phenol_formaldehyde_resin.html Safety data for phenol-formaldehyde resin] [[Category:Phenolic resins]] [[Category:Semiconductor device fabrication]] [[de:Phenoplast]] [[it:Resine fenoliche]] [[pl:Fenoplasty]] [[ru:Фенолформальдегидная смола]]