HALOGENATION OF BUTYL RUBBER - A MODEL-COMPOUND APPROACH

The study of the halogenation behavior of butyl rubber model compounds has brought about a better understanding of the behavior of these systems. It has been established that the presence of methyl groups, in a position beta to the reaction site in the butyl rubber model compound, profoundly influences the course of halogenation. Due to the steric hindrance imposed by these groups, both the products of chlorination and bromination deviate from patterns typical of other trisubstituted alkenes. The behavior of the butyl model compound appears to be entirely consistent with the behavior of butyl rubber itself; the model compound approach is therefore a valuable tool for use in the basic study of this type of system.