Natural rubber latex was submitted to epoxidation reaction to establish the best reaction conditions without the occurrence of side reactions, which promote coagulation of the latex and development of an agglomerate of rubber. Epoxy groups were produced by in situ epoxidation with formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The samples were characterized qualitatively by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis and the degree of modification determined by Hydrogen Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR) analysis. A linear increase in the glass transition temperature (Tg) was observed. The results show that the epoxidation of natural rubber latex is possible and depends on the reaction conditions.
in situ epoxidation; natural rubber latex; reaction conditions
