Determination of chlorine distribution in chlorosulfonated polyethylenes by high‐resolution NMR spectroscopy

High‐resolution proton magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the sequence distribution of chlorines in elastomeric chlorosulfonated polyethylenes. The determination is based on measuring the relative amounts of methylene groups that are α, β, and γ (or greater) from chlorine containing groups (CHCl groups) in chlorosulfonated polyethylenes. The results obtained from the NMR examination at 220 MHz were compared with the theoretical predictions based on the statistics of substitution polymers. The comparison showed that polyethylenes chlorosulfonated by a solution reaction with gaseous chlorine and sulfur dioxide show a random chlorine distribution.