JCE Software Chemistry Comes Alive!
Urea-Formaldehyde Resin

Forming urea-formaldehyde resin.

  Click a thumbnail picture below to view a larger version. View movie.
View Movie
 

Narrative
Aqueous formaldehyde is added to solid urea. The mixture is stirred. A few drops of concentrated sulfuric acid are added to the clear solution. A white solid polymer is produced in a highly exothermic reaction. The reaction involves condensation between the nucleophilic nitrogen of urea with the electrophilic carbonyl carbon of formaldehyde. A branched copolymer is formed.

Discussion