Ceric ions

There are many chemical methods for generating radicals reported in the hterature that do not involve conventional initiators. Specific examples are included in References 64—79. Most of these radical-generating systems carmot broadly compete with the use of conventional initiators in industrial polymer apphcations owing to cost or efficiency considerations. However, some systems may be weU-suited for initiating specific radical reactions or polymerizations, eg, grafting of monomers to cellulose using ceric ion (80). 

Etherification and esterification of hydroxyl groups produce derivatives, some of which are produced commercially. Derivatives may also be obtained by graft polymerization wherein free radicals, initiated on the starch backbone by ceric ion or irradiation, react with monomers such as vinyl or acrylyl derivatives. A number of such copolymers have been prepared and evaluated in extmsion processing (49). A starch—acrylonitrile graft copolymer has been patented (50) which rapidly absorbs many hundred times its weight in water and has potential appHcations in disposable diapers and medical suppHes. 

Bromide ndIodide. The spectrophotometric determination of trace bromide concentration is based on the bromide catalysis of iodine oxidation to iodate by permanganate in acidic solution. Iodide can also be measured spectrophotometricaHy by selective oxidation to iodine by potassium peroxymonosulfate (KHSO ). The iodine reacts with colorless leucocrystal violet to produce the highly colored leucocrystal violet dye. Greater than 200 mg/L of chloride interferes with the color development. Trace concentrations of iodide are determined by its abiUty to cataly2e ceric ion reduction by arsenous acid. The reduction reaction is stopped at a specific time by the addition of ferrous ammonium sulfate. The ferrous ion is oxidi2ed to ferric ion, which then reacts with thiocyanate to produce a deep red complex. 

The tetravalent ceric ion [16065-90-0] Ce , is the only nontrivalent lanthanide ion, apart from stable in aqueous solution. As a result of the... 

Polymerization Initiator. Some unsaturated monomers can be polymerized through the aid of free radicals generated, as transient intermediates, in the course of a redox reaction. The electron-transfer step during the redox process causes the scission of an intermediate to produce an active free radical. The ceric ion, Ce" ", is a strong one-electron oxidizing agent that can readily initiate the redox polymerization of, for example, vinyl monomers in aqueous media at near ambient temperatures (40). The reaction scheme is... 

Following the findings of Mino and Kaizerman [51] that ceric ion can form a redox system with cellulose, grafting onto various natural polymers has been carried out by the ceric ion method. In the case of cellulose, the reaction between ceric ion and cellulose occurs to produce active sites on cellulose in the following manner ... 

This is a highly selective process and very good results on cellulose and starch grafting have been observed. Ceric ion initiated grafting is usually carried out at lower temperatures and, therefore, wastage of monomer in chain transfer reactions is minimal. 

When ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) was used as a source of ceric ion, the presence of nitric acid was found to play a significant role. Ceric ion in water is believed to react in the following manner ... 

Misra et al. have utilized the ceric-amine redox system for grafting MM A onto wool [60] and gelatin [61], The graft yield was explained in terms of basicity, nu-cleophilicity, and steric requirements of amines. A complex of ceric ion and amine (AH) decomposes to generate free radical species, which produce additional active sites onto the polymeric backbone where grafting can occur. 

The use of ceric ions to initiate graft polymerization was first discussed by Mino and Kaizerman in 1958 [12]. Schwab and coworkers [13] were among the first to extend this method to the grafting of cellulose. Following their work, numerous papers have appeared in the literature on the grafting of vinyl monomers onto cellulose by this technique. 

Mino and Kaizerman [12] established that certain. ceric salts such as the nitrate and sulphate form very effective redox systems in the presence of organic reducing agents such as alcohols, thiols, glycols, aldehyde, and amines. Duke and coworkers [14,15] suggested the formation of an intermediate complex between the substrate and ceric ion, which subsequently is disproportionate to a free radical species. Evidence of complex formation between Ce(IV) and cellulose has been studied by several investigators [16-19]. Using alcohol the reaction can be written as follows ... 

By using this technique acrylamide, acrylonitrile, and methyl acrylate were grafted onto cellulose [20]. In this case, oxidative depolymerization of cellulose also occurs and could yield short-lived intermediates [21]. They [21] reported an electron spin resonance spectroscopy study of the affects of different parameters on the rates of formation and decay of free radicals in microcrystalline cellulose and in purified fibrous cotton cellulose. From the results they obtained, they suggested that ceric ions form a chelate with the cellulose molecule, possibly, through the C2 and C3 hydroxyls of the anhy-droglucose unit. Transfer of electrons from the cellulose molecule to Ce(IV) would follow, leading to its reduction... 

Graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile with various vinyl comonomers such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, vinyl acetate, and styrene onto cellulose derivatives using ceric ion was studied [24]. The results showed that... 

Attempts have been also made to use ceric ion initiation for grafting vinyl monomers onto lignocellulosic fibers. Lin et al. [27] grafted MMA and AN onto bambo. 

Free radicals can be generated on the cellulose chain by hydrogen abstraction, oxidation, the ceric ion method, diazotization, introduction of unsaturated groups, or by y-irradiation. 

This technique is based in the fact that when cellulose is oxidized by ceric salts such as ceric ammonium nitrate Ce(NH4)2(N03)6 free radicals capable of initiating vinyl polymerization are formed on the cellulose. However, the possibility remains that the radical formed is an oxygen radical or that the radical is formed on the C-2 or C-3 instead of the C-6 carbon atom. Another mechanism, proposed by Livshits and coworkers [13], involves the oxidation of the glycolic portion of the an-hydroglucose unit. Several workers [14,15], however, have found evidence for the formation of some homopolymer. In the ceric ion method free radicals are first generated and are then capable of initiating the grafting process [16-18]. 

To sum up, the optimum conditions for methylmethacrylate grafting onto pulp by the ceric ion redox system can be summarized as follows the grafting is done at 30°C for a 1-h reaction time, using liquor ratio 40 1, acid concentration 1%, initiator concentration 0.1%, and monomer 1 mL/g pulp. 

Partial carboxymethylation of wood pulp significantly increases its susceptibility toward grafting with acrylonitrile using the ceric ion as the initiator 146]. Studies dealing with grafting of various vinyl monomers, such as acrylonitrile, methylmethacrylate, and acrylamide, onto partially carboxymethylated cotton cellulose using tetravalent cerium as the initiator have been reported [47]. 

Graft Copolymerization of Vinyl Monomers Onto Macromolecules Having Active Pendant Group via Ceric Ion Redox or Photo-Induced Charge-Transfer Initiation... 

Samal et al. [25] reported that Ce(IV) ion coupled with an amide, such as thioacetamide, succinamide, acetamide, and formamide, could initiate acrylonitrile (AN) polymerization in aqueous solution. Feng et al. [3] for the first time thoroughly investigated the structural effect of amide on AAM polymerization using Ce(IV) ion, ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator. They found that only acetanilide (AA) and formanilide (FA) promote the polymerization and remarkably enhance Rp. The others such as formamide, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N-butylacetamide, and N-cyclohexylacetamide only slightly affect the rate of polymerization. This can be shown by the relative rate (/ r), i.e., the rate of AAM polymerization initiated with ceric ion-amide divided by the rate of polymerization initiated with ceric ion alone. Rr for CAN-anilide system is approximately 2.5, and the others range from 1.04-1.11. 

As we have mentioned previously, 1,3-diketone and anilide were very effective reducing agents for vinyl polymerization initiated by ceric ion, respectively. Acetoacet-anilide (AAA), a compound having a 1,3-diketone and an anilide structure as well ... 

OF MACROMOLECULES HAVING AN ACTIVE PENDANT GROUP INITIATED WITH CERIC ION... 

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