Acrylonitr1le anion-radical detection by infrared internal reflection spectra

The application of internal reflection spectroscopy to the study of interface boundary layers has been extended over cases in which unstable particles appear at the interface as a result of imposing a negative electrical potential on the germanium hemicylinder, used simultaneously as an optical prism in the internal reflection spectroscopic device and as an electrode. The appearance of the particles is detected by their internal reflection spectrum. The method has been applied in the case of the electrochemically induced polymerization of acrylonitrile. Two particles were found to be generated during electrolysis. They are assigned to the anionradical and to the di-anion of acrylonitrile.