KINETIC MODELING STUDIES OF AMINE EPOXIDE REACTIONS - APPLICATION OF RADIOCHEMICAL AND NUMERICAL TECHNIQUES

The reaction between phenyglycidyl ether and a series of primary aromatic amines has been studied under conditions where [epoxide]much greater than[amines] (conditions which we categorise as ideal) using a radio-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method that is shown to be very versatile and capable of wide application. The results show that the small amounts of water present in the reaction medium possess a catalytic role as do the hydroxylated species formed during the course of the reaction. The detailed information so obtained makes it possible to use numerical techniques so that a comparison can be made between a theoretical model and the actual experimental behaviour.