KINETICS OF POLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLONITRILE INITIATED BY VANADIUM(V)-THIOUREA REDOX SYSTEM

The kinetics of polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) initiated by quinquevalent vanadium (V~(5+))-thiourea (TU) redox system has been investigated in aqueous nitric acid in the temperature range from 30 to 50℃. The polymerization rate (R_p) can be expressed as follows: In the copolymerization of acryionitrile with methyl acrylate (MA), the reactivity ratios were found to be 1.0 and 1.1, respectively. The experimental observations suggest that the initiating species is probably a complex consisting of a central ion of Lewis acid-VO_2~+ and the ligands of Lewis bases-acrylonitrile, thiourea, and nitrate anions, while the initiating system in lower concentration, the polymerization of acrylonitrile does not occur if the thiourea is acidified prior to its reaction with quinquevalent vanadium. This indicates that the primary radicals (or the monomeric radicals in the present article) are produced by associated thiourea rather than isothlourea.     

STUDIES ON THE POLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLONITRILE INITIATED BY METAVANADATE-CONTAININ G ANION EXCHANGER-THIOUREA REDOX SYSTEM

The polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) in aqueous nitric acid initiated by metavanadate-containing anion exchange resin (PV)-thiourea (TU) redox system at 20—40℃. has been investigated. The overall rate of polymerization (R_p) is given byR_p=1.92×10~4e~(-6.860/RT) [AN]~(1.2) [PV]~(0.44) [TU]~(1.0)[HNO_3]~(1.0)The kinetic parameters differed from those of V~(5+)-TU system indicated that the generation of the primary radicals is mainly a difffusion-controlled reaction. The effect of macromolecular field arisen from the polymer matrix exerts a great influence on the polymerization process.     

TERMINATION AND TRANSFER OF THE CHAIN RADICALS IN THE POLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLONITRILE INITIATED BY VANADIUM(V)-THIOUREA REDOX SYSTEM

The dependence of the molecular weights on the concentration of reactants in the polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by vanadium (V)-thiourea redox system has been investigated. It was found that the molecular weights of the polymer change nonlinearly with increasing concentrations of nitric acid and thiourea. Probably, the composition of the complexes exert a great influence on the chain initiation and termination. The reaction of "complextermination" gives rise to the decrease of the molecular weights markedly while the concentrations of thiourea and vanadium (V)in the range from one to three molar ratios.