Propylene and what kind of material it is: what it looks like, production, fraction

Propylene is an organic substance from which polypropylene is obtained. The latter is used as packaging material, as well as in medical, construction, household and many other fields. The production and use of polypropylene is described in this material.

What is propylene

Propylene itself is an organic compound with the formula C3H6. It is produced from propane C3H8 by dehydrogenation (removal of 2 hydrogen atoms). Therefore, the resulting compound is sometimes called propane of the polypropylene fraction. The figure shows a model of the molecule of this substance (carbon atoms are indicated in gray, hydrogen atoms in white, single and double chemical bonds are indicated by straight lines).

Propylene itself is not of particular interest in terms of practical use in its original form. Much more often they use the compound that precedes it - propane (household gas). As for propylene itself, it is used to produce an organic polymer called polypropylene.

Its production was opened in 1957 by inventors Ziegler and Nutt, after whom the catalyst accelerating the corresponding chemical reaction was named. Metallocene catalysts are also used, but only in 8-10% of cases.

The main industrial production method is the polymerization of propylene.The essence of the process is that small C3H6 molecules connect with each other and turn into long chains, resulting in the formation of a dense film. Polymerization of polypropylene occurs at a temperature of 70-80 degrees and a pressure of 10 atm.

Application of polypropylene

Polypropylene is produced mainly for the production of packaging materials:

• containers;
• food film;
• film for cosmetic products;
• disposable tableware;
• containers;
• cases.

You can tell about polypropylene what kind of material it is if you know that it comes in different densities. According to this indicator, it is conventionally divided into soft and hard. Therefore, the product is used not only as packaging. It is also used in other areas:

1. Production of household items and equipment - furniture, appliances, toys.
2. Parts for cars - battery housings, pallet elements, bumpers, dashboards, door accessories, moldings.
3. Medical field - syringes and other disposable consumables, test tubes for research, sampling, sterilized containers for medicines, treatment baths, parts for diagnostic equipment.
4. Containers for special liquids, such as alkalis or acids.
5. Elastic fibers in fabrics.
6. Housing elements of electronics, household appliances, for example, in televisions, telephones.
7. Electrics - coils, insulation shells.

Thus, the use of propylene is quite extensive, which is associated with the properties of this material. It is quite durable, not subject to corrosion and rotting, and resistant to temperature changes.At the same time, it can be destroyed under prolonged exposure to the sun's rays; it is quite difficult to glue, so repair is often impossible. However, since polypropylene is quite cheap, it remains one of the most popular materials for packaging.