Carothers Equation (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! In step-growth polymerization, the Carothers equation gives the degree of polymerization, Xn, for a given fractional monomer conversion, p. There are several versions of this equation, proposed by Wallace Carothers who invented nylon in 1935. The simplest case refers to the formation of a strictly linear polymer by the reaction of two monomers in equimolar quantities. An example is the synthesis of nylon-6,6 whose formula is [-NH-(CH2)6-NH-CO-(CH2)4-CO-]n from one mole of hexamethylenediamine, H2N(CH2)6NH2, and one mole of adipic acid, HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH.