Microstructure elucidation of poly(epichlorohydrin) modified with thiol compounds using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy

Poly(epichlorohydrin) has been modified chemically using aromatic and aliphatic thiol compounds. The NMR results show that using both aromatic and aliphatic thiols, one achieves degrees of modification of up to 90% without any elimination side reaction. As a consequence no degradative chain-scission takes place. A microstructural analysis of the modified polymers has been carried out by 13C NMR, 1H NMR and 13C DEPT spectroscopy. Additionally, 2D heteronuclear correlated spectroscopy (HMQC and HMBC) were used in order to determine the chemical shifts of quaternary carbons.