| Abstract: | Copolymerization of furan (F) with maleic anhydride (MAH) initiated by thioglycolic acid (TGA) was studied in various solvents and temperatures in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. Copolymer between F and MAH was readily obtained by using thiol compounds as initiators. The atmospheric oxygen catalyses the copolymerization reaction. The rate of copolymerization is proportional to the concentration TGA]0.55 at low concentrations (< 1.0 mol/L), at higher concentrations rates decrease gradually. The copolymerization rate increases with increase in copolymerization temperature and varies with the total monomer concentration as (F] + MAH])1.9. The overall energy of activation as calculated from the Arrhenius plot has been found to be 6.4 Kcal/mol within the temperature range of 25–50°C. |
