KINETIC-STUDY OF PYRROLE POLYMERIZATION WITH IRON(III) CHLORIDE IN WATER

The chemical synthesis of polypyrrole in water, with FeCl3 as an oxida nt of pyrrole, was investigated. During these experiments in ambient a ir, a large evaporation of pyrrole was observed. Moreover, a kinetic s tudy of pyrrole disappearance by high-performance liquid chromatograph y (HPLC), with various FeCl3 concentrations, proved that the polymeriz ation is first order with respect to the pyrrole and second order with respect to the FeCl3. These kinetics can be explained by the formatio n of an intermediary FeCl3-pyrrole complex as the first step of the po lymerization. The second step, which is rate-determining, is the pyrro le oxidation by FeCl3. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.