Abstract
Measurements of the Viscosity of Rubber Solutions In the literature may be found numerous measurements of the viscosity of rubber solutions, the object of which was to throw light on the nature of colloidal solutions and changes in these solutions by various operations. These investigations give no insight into the structure of colloid particles and the reason for changes in rubber solutions because they are based on false assumptions, particularly the assumption that rubber has a micellar structure. Often highly viscous solutions were studied, and though these appeared to be of special interest to the colloid chemist, they were unsuited for such investigations, for they are gel solutions in which the structure of the colloid particles is much more difficult to explain than is that in dilute solutions (sol solutions), where the molecules have freedom of movement and do not disturb one another. The earlier works also contain references to the sensitivity of rubber to oxygen, though no special precautions were ever taken in the measurements to exclude oxygen; in fact this was unnecessary as a rule, for crude rubber solutions are much more stable, because of anticatalysts present, than solutions of pure rubber in which these have been removed. Pure rubber was prepared by the method of Pummerer and Pahl and, as described in the following work, was separated by fractional extraction into portions of different average molecular weights. Viscosity measurements of the individual fractions were then carried out under various conditions. The study of the rubber solution, like that of the balata solution, must be carried out with complete exclusion of air, and the solvent (tetralin or benzene) must be distilled in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen and be freed of oxygen. The filtration of the rubber solution, the filling of the viscosimeter, as well as the measurements themselves, are likewise made in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen. Measurements were taken in the Ubbelohde viscosimeter at different pressures, as a rule at 10.30 and 60 cm. mercury pressure. Very dilute solutions were also measured in the Ostwald viscosimeter, since the deviations from the Hagen-Poiseuille law are of no great importance at low concentration. Finally, it should be mentioned that these special precautions during the viscosity measurements, above all the careful exclusion of air, are necessary only in the case of rubber, not with the saturated hydrocarbons, polystyrene, and hydrorubber.
Grasping Operation Based on Functional Cooperation of Fingers
