Summary: Due to their excellent physical and chemical properties polyamides (PA) are used in many industrial processes. The most common products are the aliphatic polyamides synthesized by a conventional melt-polycondensation method of AH-salt in an autoclave. High temperatures, high pressure and long reaction times are necessary. On the other hand the polyamide synthesis can conducted as solution polycondensation in a microwave oven. Moreover the higher heating efficiency of microwave irradiation reduces the reaction time to about 20 minutes. The main focus of this study lies on the end group analysis by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry) of aliphatic polyamides produced by autoclave -as well as microwave assisted synthesis by AABB-type condensation. The results show differences in the end group formation depending on the chosen reaction conditions. In case of following modification or protecting group chemistry, it is of course important to know the kind of end groups of the polyamide.

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