Kinetics of polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by the Mn³⁺‐thioacetamide redox system

Abstract

Abstract Kinetics of the polymerization of acrylonitrile has been investigated in aqueous sulfuric acid in a temperature range of 25–45°C. The rate of polymerization ( R p ) and the rate of managanic ion disappearance, etc., have been measured. The effect of the various additives, such as water‐miscible organic solvents, neutral electrolytes, complexing agents, and surfactants, on the rate has been thoroughly studied. A mechanism that involves the initial complex formation between the thiol form of the thioamide and Mn 3+ , whose decomposition yields the initiating free radical with the polymer chain terminated by mutual combination of growing radicals, has been suggested.