Sulfenamides can degrade in chemical purity and functional performance, usually characterized by a drop in assay, a release of free amine, and an increase in insolubles. This test method may be used as an indication of such degradation.
Since MBTS (mercaptobenzothiazole disulfide) is a primary degradation product of sulfenamides, the determination of MBTS is a means of assessing possible degradation of sulfenamides. Insolubles are a means of mercaptobenzothiazyl disulfide (MBTS) content of the sulfenamide; MBTS is a primary degradation product of sulfenamides. Amine salts of mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) may also be insoluble. However, certain soluble species may also be generated during sulfenamide degradation. Consequently, insolubles are not an absolute measure of purity and can actually decrease with sulfenamide degradation.