Graft copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine onto cellulose using Co (III) acetylacetonate comlex in aqueous medium

The graft copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) onto cellulose has been carried out in heterogeneous conditions with cobaltacetylacetonate complex (Co (acac)(3)) under nitrogen atmosphere at 35 +/- 0.1 degreesC in aqueous media. The grafting parameters such as graft yield, grafting efficiency, total conversion, frequency of grafting and rate of grafting have been evaluated as a function of concentration of 4-vinylpyridine, cobaltacetylacetonate and reaction temperature of graft copolymerization. Variation in concentration of monomer and initiator leads to a consistent increase in grafting parameters and then show a decreasing trend. The efficient grafting of monomer in presence of cobaltacetylacetonate complex is due to the coordination of the pi -electrons of the 4-vinylpyridine with the metal chelate which facilitate the homolytic decomposition of metal-oxygen bond to form radicals at relatively low temperature. The rate of graft copolymerization is directly proportional to the concentration of monomer and the square root of the concentration of the cobaltacetylacetonate complex. The activation energy (Delta Ea) for graft copolymeriztion has been calculated using a Arrhenius plot and is 31.0 kJ mol(-1) within the temperature range of 20-40 degreesC. The grafting of 4-vinylpyridine has also been studied in presence of various additives and their effects have been suitably explained. On the basis of the experimental observations, reaction steps are proposed and rate expression has been derived.