A study of sulfur bridges in filled natural rubber vulcanizates by pyrolysis gas chromatography with flame‐photometric detection

Natural rubber vulcanizates of two formulations, with sulfur/N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide (CBS) and tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD), respectively, were analyzed by pyrolysis gas chromatography. A sulfur-selective flame-photometric detector was utilized. The main pyrolysis products were identified as CS2 and some thiophenes. The yields of the pyrolysis products from the two types of rubber were very different. The yields also varied with the curing time of the rubbers.