Analysis of Vulcanized Rubber Formulations on the Varian 500-MS Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer and Confirmation of Expected Structures Using Varian TurboDDS with ACD/MS Manager Software

Introduction Vulcanization refers to a specific curing process of rubber involving high heat and the addition of sulfur or other equivalent curatives. It is a chemical process in which polymer molecules are linked to other polymer molecules by atomic bridges composed of sulfur atoms or carbon-to-carbon bonds. The end result is that the springy rubber molecules become cross-linked to a greater or lesser extent. This makes the bulk material harder, much more durable and also more resistant to chemical attack. It also makes the surface of the material smoother and prevents it from sticking to metal or plastic chemical catalysts.