Effect of grafted methyl methacrylate on the catalytic hydrogenation of natural rubber

The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto natural rubber was carried out by using a cumene hydroperoxide redox initiator. The graft copolymer was purified by extraction and then hydrogenated in the presence of OsHCl(CO)(O2)(PCy3)2. The graft copolymer and hydrogenated product were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The rate of hydrogenation was investigated using a gas-uptake apparatus. The hydrogenation was observed to be inverse first-order with respect to rubber concentration. The addition of a small amount of poly(methyl methacrylate) demonstrated a beneficial effect on the hydrogenation of the grafted copolymer.