Question

VA starting material required for the manufacture of $Nylon-6,6$ is:
A.) Adipic acid
B.) $1,3-butadiene$
C.) Ethylene
D.) Methyl methacrylate

Answer 1

Starting material is basically a reactant in any chemical reaction or mechanism step and are generally reserved to be used as the reactant that contributes maximum or greatest part of the carbon atoms required for the manufacture of the product or alternatively, it may also be a reactant that is considered most ‘precious’ because of their maximum availability, minimal cost and effort to synthesize.

Complete Solution :
To find the appropriate solution of the given question, we need to go through each of the options provided.
- Adipic acid or chemically Hexanedioic acid is a white crystalline solid that has a melting point of ${{152}^{\circ }}C$ and is considered as one of the most important monomers in the polymer industry. They are used as a commoner with hexamethylenediamine to produce the synthetic polymer $Nylon-6,6$ .

- $1, 3 - butadiene$ is a synthetic and colorless gas that is practically insoluble in water but soluble in organic compounds like ethanol, ether, acetone etc. It is also used as a primary monomer to manufacture many different types of polymers and copolymers like synthetic rubber.

- Ethylene generally appears as a colorless gas with sweet odor and taste, which is lighter than air and can be easily ignited.

- Methyl methacrylate or methyl ester is a key building block for acrylic based polymers and has applications including exterior paints, safety glazing, adhesives and many more.
So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note: One is advised to remember that we could alternatively have solved the given question by recalling the key reactants of the synthetic polymer $Nylon-6,6$ which are Adipic acid and Hexamethylenediamine.