| Summary: | The nature of the end-groups of a PIBSA sample, namely a polyisobutylene (PIB) sample, where each chain is supposedly terminated at one end with a single succinic anhydride group, was characterized through a combination of pyrene excimer fluorescence (PEF), gel permeation chromatography, and simulations. The PIBSA sample was reacted with different molar ratios of hexamethylene diamine to generate PIBSI molecules with succinimide (SI) groups in the corresponding reaction mixtures. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the different reaction mixtures was determined by fitting the gel permeation chromatography traces with sums of Gaussians. Comparison of the experimental MWD of the reaction mixtures with those simulated by assuming that the reaction between succinic anhydride and amine occurs through stochastic encounters led to the conclusion that 36 wt% of the PIBSA sample constituted unmaleated PIB chains. Based on this analysis, the PIBSA sample was found to be constituted of 0.50, 0.38, and 0.12 molar fractions of PIB chains that were singly maleated, unmaleated, and doubly maleated, respectively.
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