New Catalyst System,FeCI3-Et3-nAICIn (n=1, 2), for the Alternating Copolymerization of Butadiene-1,3 with Acrylonitrile

Abstract

Butadiene-1, 3 and acrylonitrile were copolymerized by alkylaluminum halides and ferric chloride systems. The efficiency of the aluminum components of these systems appears to decrease in the following order: Et₂AlCl < EtAlCl₂ < Et₃Al. Effective catalysts were not necessarily dependent on the mixing orders of the catalyst and monomers. It was found that different feed ratios between two monomers, which were varied over a wide range, always resulted in the formation of 1:1 copolymer. In order to investigate the initiation and propagation reactions, electron paramagnetic resonance was measured and a polarographic method was used on the reduction reaction of ferric chloride with organoaluminum halides in acetonitrile.