RADICAL-INITIATED HOMOPOLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLONITRILE IN THE PRESENCEOF CE(IV)-HIPPURIC ACID IN MICELLAR PHASE - A KINETIC-STUDY

Polymerization of acrylonitrile using Ce(IV) as initiator in the prese nce of hippuric acid in aqueous sulfuric acid solution catalyzed by N- cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (NCTAB) was studied kinetically. The polymerization experiment was carried out in the temperature range 35- degrees-55-degrees-C. The rate of polymerization (R(p)) increases with increasing concentration of NCTAB and it is found to be proportional to the concentration of acrylonitrile. Comparisons were made of the ef fect of different organic substrates and different micelles on the rat e of polymerization. Various effects such as effects of concentration of metal ion, emulsifier, monomer, sulfuric acid, organic solvents, an d inorganic salts on R(p) were also investigated. The remarkable featu re of the investigation involves the enhancement of R(p) in the presen ce of micelles; a suitable mechanism for the derivation of the rate ex pression is proposed and optimum conditions are predicted. From the Ar rhenius plot, the energy of activation (E(A)) was found to be 1.9805 k cal/mol.