Carboxylic anhydride groups and carboxylic acid groups in polyamide melts .1. Defined decomposition of polyamide by low molecular agents

In this first part of a review results are presented for the mechanism of the controlled decomposition of polyamides with carboxylic anhydrides and carboxylic acids as low molecular weight decomposition agents. Carboxylic acid groups show a surprisingly high reactivity under polyamide melt conditions compared with carboxylic anhydride groups. The decem position of polyamides by low molecular weight decomposition agents to controlled decomposed oligoamides with a narrow molecular weight distribution could be carried out in a twin screw extruder within a residence time lower than 5 min. The mechanism of decomposition will be discussed in comparison with published mechanisms from the literature.