NATURAL RUBBER

Rubber trees are grown in tropical and semitropical countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri
Lanka, South America and southern parts of India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnatka etc), etc. On making
a cut in the bark of the rubber tree, a white viscous fluid exudes which is known as latex. Latex is a
colloidal solution of rubber particles (30-40%). So, natural rubber can be obtained from latex by coagulation
process. For this we add some electrolyte solution to the latex. Commonly used coagulating agent is
dilute acetic acid. The solid obtained is pressed with the help of rollers to make rubber sheets.
Structure. In terms of chemistry natural rubber is a polymer of 2-methyl-1, 3-butadiene. The
monomer which is also known as isoprene undergoes 1,4-additon polymerization to give natural rubber.
The polymerization is shown below:
CH3
n CH2

CH3
CH

CH2

Polymerization

CH2

Isoprene
(2-Methyl-1,3-butadiene)

CH

CH2

Polyisoprene
(Natural rubber)

From the structure it is clear that the polymer contains double bonds capable of showing geometrical
isomerism. So, we can have more than one type of natural rubbers due to cis- or trans orientation across
the double bonds. Since each repeating unit in polyisoprene contains a double bond, it may have either all
cis or all trans or alternate cis and trans or randam cis and trans orientation. Natural rubber obtained
from rubber tree polyisoprene having cis-orientation across all double bonds. On the other hand
synthetically prepared polymer of isoprene has trans-orientation across all double bonds and is known as
gutta percha.

H2C
H3C

CH2
H

H3C

H3C

H
CH2

CH2

CH2

cisPolyisoprene
(Natural rubber)

H3C
H2C

H
C

CH2

CH2
H

transPolyisoprene
(Gutta Percha)

H2C
H3C

H2C
H3C

CH2
H

H
CH2

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