Thermal decomposition products of polyethylene

Abstract

Decomposition products of polymers have been determined by many investigators, but the results are often conflicting because of difficulties in analyzing a large number of products. A comprehensive analysis of the volatile thermal decomposition products of high‐density polyethylene has been made with the latest techniques in gas chromatography. The formation of products is explained on the basis of free‐radical mechanism. The predominant process in the formation of volatiles appears to be intramolecular transfer of radicals, in which isomerization by a coiling mechanism plays an important role in determining the relative quantities of each product.