Polymerization of Acrylonitrile with Ceric lon-2-Propanethiol as Initiator System

The kinetics of the polymerization of arylonitrile with ceric ammonium sulfate in the presence of 2-propanethiol as the redox initiator system in aqueous solution has been investigated. The rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to the square root of both ceric ion and thiol concentrations, and the monomer exponent was close to 1.5. Spectral studies indicated that there is a complex formation between ceric ion and the monomer acrylonitrile. A kinetic scheme, based on initial formation of this complex and its subsequent reaction with the thiol to produce the free radicals (RS.) responsible for initiation has been postulated to account for the observed results. The activation energy and different kinetic and transfer constants for the system have also been evaluated.