Abstract

The chlorination of low-molecular-weight natural rubber isolated from Euphorbia lactiflua latex (LMWER) was accomplished. The reaction was performed by using Cl2(g), and CH2Cl2 or CCl4 solvents. Different temperatures, reaction times and Cl2 to isoprene ratio were used. The products were characterized by elementary analysis, infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The maximum chlorination reached was 59.9%. The properties were found to be comparable with chlorinated rubber obtained from liquid natural rubber (LNR).