Studies on aqueous polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by Ce(IV)-DMSO

Aqueous polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by the Ce(IV)-DMSO redox system was studied in the temperature range of 40 degrees-60 degrees C. The rate of polymerization R(p) was found to be approximately proportional to [M](3/2) within the range of monomer concentration of 0.32-1.2 mL(-1). Effects of time and concentration of Ce(IV), DMSO, H2SO4, and salts were studied. The overall activation energy for the polymerization reaction was estimated to be 4.606 kcal/mol. A suitable kinetic scheme was proposed in the light of these experimental results. Kinetic analysis shows that the mutual termination predominates over linear termination.