Phenol-Formaldehyde Resins

Phenol Formaldehyde Resins
The earliest commercial synthetic resin is based on a Phenol formaldehyde resin (PF) with the commercial name Bakelite, and is formed from an elimination reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. Phenol is reactive towards formaldehyde at the ortho and para sites (sites 2, 4 and 6) allowing up to 3 units of formaldehyde to attach to the ring. This forms a hydroxymethyl phenol. The hydroxymethyl group is capable of reacting with either another free ortho or para site, or with another hydroxymethyl group. The first reaction forms a methylene bridge, and the second forms an ether bridge.

Phenol formaldehyde resins, as a group, are formed by a step-growth polymerization reaction which may be either acid or base catalysed. The pathway the reaction follows varies depending on the catalyst type used.