The kinetics of polyamidation was investigated for the reaction of diphenyl terephthalate as activated diester with trimethylhexamethylenediamine (1 : 1 mixture of 2,2,4- and 2,4,4-trimethyl isomers) in dimethyl sulfoxide. The good solubility of the resulting polyamide (Trogamid®(poly(iminoterephthaloylimino-x,y,z-trimethylhexamethylene))) assured a reaction in which all reactants, especially the polyamide, were soluble. The conversion was followed by analysis of the phenol set free and by measuring the number-average degree of polymerization Pn of the polyamide. The reaction obeyed an overall second order with the principle of equal reactivity of functional groups fulfilled for Pn ≿ 16. De…

The aminolysis of diphenyl terephthalate by means of hexylamine was studied in dimethyl sulfoxide as a model reaction for polyamidation. The kinetic analysis showed that the two ester groups of the diphenyl ester do not react independently. Furthermore, the reaction of the first ester group was of mixed second and third order, while the reaction of the second ester group contained only a second order term. The rate constants found were used to determine the Arrhenius activation parameters.