At the beginning of A2 we made Nylon-6,6 using these two chemicals:
1,6- diaminohexane solution - irritant
Adipoyl Chloride in cyclohexane solvent - HIGHLY FLAMMABLE. Perfect.

N.B. this reaction smells. A lot. So it was done in a ‘well ventilated area’.
If the hydrochloric acid (gaseous) was breathed in it would dissolve your lungs.
First signs – coughing. So don’t cough.

We were studying condensation reactions of polymers, particularly polyamides.


Umar – ‘the best lesson ever!!!’

Becky – ‘it smells’

Humza – ‘it’s gooey’

Zaira – ‘it’s well long and stringy!’

Andrew – ‘it’s great!’

Haroon – ‘it’s pretty exciting compared to the rest of the course’