| Abstract: | Rates of decomposition of di(3-hydroxybutyl)-2,2′-azobisisobutyrate, di(4-hydroxybutyl)-2,2′-azobisisobutyrate, di(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,2′-azobisisobutyrate, di(2-chloroethyl)-2,2′-azobisisobutyrate, and di(2-hydroxypropyl)-2,2, all of which are useful in the polymerization of butadiene and isoprene, were measured by nitrogen evolution technique at 60, 70, and 80°C, respectively, in each of the three solvents, namely, toluene, dioxane, and N,N-dimethylformamide. The thermal decompositions of these azo compounds in solution were first order, and the Arrhenius equation was used to calculate their activation energies. |
