| Abstract: | The polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) initiated by the system of tetramethyl tetrazene (TMT) and bromoacetic acid (BA) in dimethylformamide (DMF) was studied. The TMT–BA system could initiate the polymerization of AN more easily than TMT alone. The polymerization was confirmed to proceed through a radical mechanism. The initial rate of polymerization Rp was expressed by the equation: Rp = TMT]0.62-BA]0.5AN]1.5. The overall activation energy for the polymerization was estimated as 9.4 kcal/mole. In the absence of monomer, the reaction of TMT with BA in DMF was also studied kinetically by measuring the evolution of nitrogen gas. The reaction was first-order in TMT and first-order in BA; the rate data at 49°C were k2 = 9.1 × 10?2l./mole-sec., ΔH? = 17.0 kcal/mole, and ΔS? = ? 6.6 eu. In addition, the treatment of TMT with BA in benzene led to the formation of tetramethylhydrazine radical cation, which was identified by its ESR spectrum. On the other hand, the relatively strong interaction between TMT and DMF was observed by absorption spectrophotometry. |
