Hydroxyethyl acrylate and Properties

Hydroxyethyl acrylate is an aliphatic organic compound.It has a molecular formula of C5H8O3 and a CAS registry number of 818-61-1.It is registered under REACH with EU number 212-454-9.It is dual functional and contains a polymerizable acrylic group and a terminal hydroxyl group.It is used with other monomers to make emulsion polymers, and the resulting resins are used in applications such as coatings, sealants, adhesives, and elastomers.

Synthesis

There are many patents and synthesis papers producing this material with the main aim of reducing or removing heavy metals as catalysts.The traditional manufacturing process requires the reaction of ethylene oxide and acrylic acid in the presence of a metal catalyst.

Attributes 

The material is a clear, water-white liquid with a mild but pungent ester odor.It has a very low freezing point.

Applications

The most common use of this material is in copolymerization with other acrylate and methacrylate monomers to form emulsions and other polymers, including hydrogels.Modification of rubber and similar compounds are also uses of this material.The resulting polymer can be used to make pressure sensitive adhesives.

Toxicity

The toxicity of the material has been studied and is fairly well understood.

Synthetic resin

Synthetic resins are industrially produced resins, usually sticky substances that are converted into rigid polymers through a curing process.For curing, resins typically contain reactive end groups,such as acrylates or epoxides. Some synthetic resins have properties similar to natural plant resins, but many do not.There are several types of synthetic resins. Some are made by esterification of organic compounds.Some are thermoset plastics, where the term "resin" refers generically to reactants, products, or both.The "resin" can be applied to one of two monomers in the copolymer, the other is called the "hardener", as in epoxy resins.For thermosets that require only one monomer, the monomer compound is the "resin." For example, liquid methyl methacrylate is often called a "resin" or "casting resin" when it is in a liquid state prior to polymerization and "setting".When solidified, the resulting polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is often renamed "acrylic glass" or "acrylic". (This is the same material known as plexiglass and plexiglass).

Types

The classic species are epoxy resins, manufactured by polymerization-addition or polycondensation reactions, used as thermosetting polymers for adhesives and composites.Epoxy is twice as strong as concrete, seamless and waterproof.As such, it has been used primarily in industrial flooring since the 1960s. Since 2000, however, epoxy and polyurethane resins have also been used for interiors, mainly in Western Europe.The synthetic casting "resin" used to embed display objects in Plexiglas/Plexiglass (PMMA) is simply a liquid methyl methacrylate to which a polymerization catalyst is added and mixed to cause it to "set" (polymerize). Polymerization creates a single piece of PMMA plastic ("acrylic glass") that holds display objects within the transparent block.

Another synthetic polymer, sometimes referred to in the same general category, is acetal resins.However, compared to other synthetics, it has a simple chain structure with repeating units of the form -[CH2O]-.Ion exchange resins are used for water purification and catalysis of organic reactions. (See also AT-10 Resin, Melamine Resin.)Certain ion-exchange resins are also used pharmaceutically as bile acid sequestrants, primarily as hypolipidemic agents, although they may be used for purposes other than lowering cholesterol.Solvent impregnated resins (SIR) are porous resin particles that contain an additional liquid extractant inside a porous matrix.The extractant contained is believed to increase the capacity of the resin pellets.A large class of resins, accounting for 75% of the resins used,are unsaturated polyester resins.The production of PVC requires the production of "vinyl chloride resins" with different degrees of polymerization.