Effect of tin tetrachloride on thermal decompositions of α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile and dimethyl α,α′-azobisisobutyrate

Thermal decomposition of α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and dimethyl α,α′-azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) in the presence of a large amount of tin tetrachloride was investigated to determine the effect of complex formation on the decomposition rates and yields of the recombination products. The addition of tin tetrachloride significantly increased the decomposition rates; the observed first-order rate constant increased by factors of 4.5 and 17 at molar ratios of [SnCl₄]/[AIBN] = 21.65 and [SnCl₄]/[MAIB] = 19.53, respectively. It was found that the decomposition of these azo compounds was also accelerated by the addition of a comparable amount of donor solvent such as ethyl acetate or propionitrile to tin tetrachloride and that the enhancement in rate was accounted for by a larger frequency factor in the Arrhenius equation. Furthermore, the addition of tin tetrachloride seemed to suppress the formation of recombination products, tetramethyl succinonitrile and dimethyl tetramethylsuccinate, of the radicals produced by decomposition.