Photolytic behavior of truxillic and truxinic polyamides

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Abstract
The effect of strong acids on the photolysis of stereoisomeric polyamides containing photoreactive cyclobutane units was studied, and a drastic increase in the photolytic rates was observed. Protonation of amide groups can explain the mechanism of this catalytic effect, being the photolytic rates affected not only by the steric congestion around the cyclobutane ring but also by the basicity of the amide group as a function of the substituent. Molecular weight decrease of the irradiated polymers was monitored by viscosity measurements, and it was found sensibly affected by the presence of small amounts of strong acids.