What is the shelf life of Normal Alpha Olefins?
Normal alpha olefins’ shelf life can be indefinite if they are stored under inert atmosphere in the absence of water and oxygen. Water is not entirely insoluble to normal alpha olefins, and water can be a poison to many catalytic processes involving normal alpha olefins, including cationic olefins polymerization. Oxygen can react with normal alpha olefins to form peroxides in ppm concentrations. Peroxides are also poisons to many polymerization catalysts. Peroxide formation during storage occurs as follows: Peroxides also react to form carbonyls and alcohols. Carbonyls and alcohols can reduce your catalysts’ activity too. We can advise you on how to analyze for peroxide/carbonyl content and removal. Finally, note that many chemists commonly store their reagents over drying agents. Drying agents can isomerize normal alpha olefins to form internal olefins, which are less reactive than normal alpha olefins in polymerization experiments. – Eduardo J. Baralt, Ph.D.
