A one-and two-dimensional NMR study was performed on three commercial resol phenol-formaldehyde (PF) prepolymer resins. 'H, "C, CSCM and DQF COSY NMR spectral data, in acetoned, , were obtained on each resin and on PF model compounds: phenol, five methylolphenols, four diphenylmethanes, two formals, two dibenzyl ethers and two dibenzylamines. Gated-decoupled "C experiments, using 2,4,6trimethylphenol as internal standard, were used to quantitate the major components present in each of the three resins. The major chemical differences of the three resins were noted. A DQF COSY method was developed that allowed the qualitative identification of most of the major phenolic components present in each of the PF resins.

A total of 13 of the 16 possible methylol derivatives of 2,4 -and 4,4 -dihydroxydiphenylmethane have been synthesized, isolated, and identified. These compounds are found as intermediates in the cure process of resol phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. Analysis of the 13 C NMR spectra (in acetone-d 6 ) of these compounds provided a way to evaluate the seven methylolphenol ring types (methylol derivatives of 2-hydroxyphenyl and 4-hydroxyphenyl rings) found in typical resol PF resins using the ipso carbon region from 150 to 160 ppm. A simple diagnostic test was developed using the chemical shift values of the methylol methylene carbon atoms to identify the presence of intermediates containing either a 2-hydroxyphenyl or a 4-hydroxyphenyl ring. Using these data it is now possible to analyze the major components in extracted prepreg PF resins.

No abstract