Acrylonitrile reactivity ratios

A new organotin monomer tributyltin CC-chloroacrylate was synthesized and polymerized using radical initiator at 50 C. TCA was copolymerized with styrene, methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile. Reactivity ratios data showed that TCA is more reactive than all three monomers... 

To the extent that the data allow, suggest where these substituents might be positioned in Table 7.3. The following reactivity ratios describe the polymerization of acrylonitrile (Ml) with the monomers listed ... 

An emulsion model that assumes the locus of reaction to be inside the particles and considers the partition of AN between the aqueous and oil phases has been developed (50). The model predicts copolymerization results very well when bulk reactivity ratios of 0.32 and 0.12 for styrene and acrylonitrile, respectively, ate used. 

Acrylonitrile copolymeri2es readily with many electron-donor monomers other than styrene. Hundreds of acrylonitrile copolymers have been reported, and a comprehensive listing of reactivity ratios for acrylonitrile copolymeri2ations is readily available (34,102). Copolymeri2ation mitigates the undesirable properties of acrylonitrile homopolymer, such as poor thermal stabiUty and poor processabiUty. At the same time, desirable attributes such as rigidity, chemical resistance, and excellent barrier properties are iacorporated iato melt-processable resias. 

An example of a commercial semibatch polymerization process is the early Union Carbide process for Dynel, one of the first flame-retardant modacryhc fibers (23,24). Dynel, a staple fiber that was wet spun from acetone, was introduced in 1951. The polymer is made up of 40% acrylonitrile and 60% vinyl chloride. The reactivity ratios for this monomer pair are 3.7 and 0.074 for acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride in solution at 60°C. Thus acrylonitrile is much more reactive than vinyl chloride in this copolymerization. In addition, vinyl chloride is a strong chain-transfer agent. To make the Dynel composition of 60% vinyl chloride, the monomer composition must be maintained at 82% vinyl chloride. Since acrylonitrile is consumed much more rapidly than vinyl chloride, if no control is exercised over the monomer composition, the acrylonitrile content of the monomer decreases to approximately 1% after only 25% conversion. The low acrylonitrile content of the monomer required for this process introduces yet another problem. That is, with an acrylonitrile weight fraction of only 0.18 in the unreacted monomer mixture, the low concentration of acrylonitrile becomes a rate-limiting reaction step. Therefore, the overall rate of chain growth is low and under normal conditions, with chain transfer and radical recombination, the molecular weight of the polymer is very low. 

In studies of the polymerization kinetics of triaUyl citrate [6299-73-6] the cyclization constant was found to be intermediate between that of diaUyl succinate and DAP (86). Copolymerization reactivity ratios with vinyl monomers have been reported (87). At 60°C with benzoyl peroxide as initiator, triaUyl citrate retards polymerization of styrene, acrylonitrile, vinyl choloride, and vinyl acetate. Properties of polyfunctional aUyl esters are given in Table 7 some of these esters have sharp odors and cause skin irritation. 

Distribution of the monomer units in the polymer is dictated by the reactivity ratios of the two monomers. In emulsion polymerization, which is the only commercially significant process, reactivity ratios have been reported (4). IfMj = butadiene andM2 = acrylonitrile, then = 0.28, and r2 =0.02 at 5°C. At 50°C, Tj = 0.42 and = 0.04. As would be expected for a combination where = near zero, this monomer pair has a strong tendency toward alternation. The degree of alternation of the two monomers increases as the composition of the polymer approaches the 50/50 molar ratio that alternation dictates (5,6). Another complicating factor in defining chemical stmcture is the fact that butadiene can enter the polymer chains in the cis (1), trans (2), or vinyl(l,2) (3) configuration ... 

Example 13.6 The following data were obtained using low-conversion batch experiments on the bulk (solvent-free), free-radical copol)mierization of styrene (X) and acrylonitrile (Y). Determine the copolymer reactivity ratios for this pol5Tnerization. 

Samples taken during three different AN/S polymerizations were analyzed chromatographically. Target composition was 70/30 AN/S for all three polymerizations. It is difficult to prepare high nitrile copolymers of styrene because reactivity ratios of the two monomers are very different. This study used continuous addition of monomers to achieve the desired polymer composition. Addition rates were those needed to maintain an excess of acrylonitrile. 

Compositionally uniform copolymers of tributyltin methacrylate (TBTM) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) are produced in a free running batch process by virtue of the monomer reactivity ratios for this combination of monomers (r (TBTM) = 0.96, r (MMA) = 1.0 at 80°C). Compositional ly homogeneous terpolymers were synthesised by keeping constant the instantaneous ratio of the three monomers in the reactor through the addition of the more reactive monomer (or monomers) at an appropriate rate. This procedure has been used by Guyot et al 6 in the preparation of butadiene-acrylonitrile emulsion copolymers and by Johnson et al (7) in the solution copolymerisation of styrene with methyl acrylate. 

Table 10.2 Monomer Reactivity Ratios for Styrene Acrylonitrile (5)...

P.G. Sanghvi, A.C. Patel, K.S. Gopalkrishnan, and S. Devi, Reactivity ratios and sequence distribution of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers synthesized in microemulsion medium, Eur. Polym. /., 36(10) 2275-2283, October 2000. 

Acrylonitrile copolymerizes readily with many electron-donor monomers oilier than styrene. Hundreds of acrylonitnle copolymers have been reported, and a comprehensive listing of reactivity ratios for acrylonitrile copolymerizations is readily available. 

Copolymers. Vinyl acetate copolymenzes easily with a few monomers, e g, ethylene, vinyl chloride, and vinyl neodecanoate, which have reactivity ratios close to its own. Block copolymers of vinyl acetate with methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and vinyl pyrrolidinone have been prepared by copolymerization in viscous conditions, with solvents that are poor solvents for the vinyl acetate macroradical,... 

Previous kinetic study of emulsion copolymerization of styrene (S) and acrylonitrile (AN) leads us to determine (4) the reactivity ratios as ... 

Carr et al.119 investigated grafting via reactive extrusion of starch with cationic methacrylate, acrylamide and acrylonitrile monomers. Starch, monomer and CAN initiator were metered into a twin-screw extruder at starch contents of approximately 35% solids. The cationic methacrylate monomer showed poor reactivity during extrusion, with essentially no add-on. Acrylamide-starch systems (1 1 w/w) gave conversions of approximately 20% and add-ons of 16% to 18%. Acrylonitrile displayed the greatest reactivity during extrusion, with conversions of 74% and 63% for 1 1 and 1 2 w/w acrylonitrile/starch ratios, respectively. The corresponding add-ons were 27% and 42%. 

However, the ratio 22/ 21 is the reactivity ratio f2 for copolymerization of acrylonitrile with methacrylonitrile, so that... 

Table 64 Values of reactivity ratios calculated according to Eqs. (6.10) and (6.11) used in Ref. [276] to treat the data on products of copolymerization of acrylonitrile with methacrylic acid in solution of dimethyl sulfoxide (I) and its equimolar aqueous mixture (III The conversion in all cases does not exceed 7%...

Table 6.8 Parameters (2.4) of the penultimate model (2.3) describing copolymerization of styrene M, with acrylonitrile M2 in toluene solution at T = 60 °C. The values of reactivity ratios were obtained [283] from the data on copolymer composition (I) and triad distribution (II)...

The Mayo Lewis equation, using reactivity ratios computed from Eq. 18, will give very different results from the homogenous Mayo Lewis equation for mini-or macroemulsion polymerization when one of the comonomers is substantially water-soluble. Guillot [151] observed this behavior experimentally for the common comonomer pairs of styrene/acrylonitrile and butyl acrylate/vinyl acetate. Both acrylonitrile and vinyl acetate are relatively water-soluble (8.5 and 2.5%wt, respectively) whereas styrene and butyl acrylate are relatively water-insoluble (0.1 and 0.14%wt, respectively). However, in spite of the fact that styrene and butyl acrylate are relatively water-insoluble, monomer transport across the aqueous phase is normally fast enough to maintain equilibrium swelling in the growing polymer particle, and so we can use the monomer partition coefficient. 

The bulk composition of the SAN copolymer can be determined by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Absorbances consistent with conjugated systems such as Figures 13.1 and 13.2 have been observed. Studies usually compare the UV spectra of model systems with the actual absorbances seen in SAN copolymers. The models represent chemically reasonable species based upon the starting monomers, known reactivity ratios, and oxidation and rearrangement chemistry [2]. The data are self-consistent with these criteria however, identification of all chromophores responsible for color formation in SAN copolymers is still work in progress. One source of species with extended conjugation is the cyclization of acrylonitrile triads to form heteroaromatic structures (Figure... 

Rank the following monomers in order of their increased tendency to alternate in copolymerization with butadiene and explain your reasoning vinyl acetate, styrene, acrylonitrile, and methyl methacrylate, Hint Use Q-e values if reactivity ratios are not readily available.)... 

An examination of reported reactivity ratios (Table 6) shows that the behaviour rj > 1, r2 1 or vice versa is a common feature of anionic copolymerization. Only in copolymerizations involving the monomers 1,1-diphenylethylene and stilbene, which cannot homopolymerize, do we find <1, r2 <1 [212—215], and hence the alternating tendency so characteristic of many free radical initiated copolymerizations. Normally one monomer is much more reactive to either type of active centre in the order acrylonitrile > methylmethacrylate > styrene > butadiene > isoprene. This is the order of electron affinities of the monomers as measured polarographically in polar solvents [216, 217]. In other words, the reactivity correlates well with the overall thermodynamic stability of the product. Variations of reactivity ratio occur with different solvents and counter-ions but the gross order is predictable. 

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