Monomers reagents polymerized

Polymerizations were conducted in simple glass reactors with temperature control (+ 1°C) provided by a circulating water jacket around the reactor. The inhibitor was removed from the monomers by washing them with a 5% sodium hydroxide solution followed by double vacuum distillation of the monomers. Reagent grade potassium persulfate was used as the initiator and sodium lauryl sulfate was used as the surfactant. Water was distilled and/or deionized prior to use. 

In principle, the appearance of electron donor groups near the double bond of the monomer leads to a cationic mechanism, while positive groups that withdraw electrons mostly lead to the anionic process. An increase of temperature usually leads to a decrease in rate of reaction or length of the chain. Polymerization always occurs in solution, wherein the solvent acts as separator of the ion-pair, and quite often as a transfer reagent. As already mentioned, most monomers undergo polymerization via free radicals, mainly when conjugated double bonds are present or substitute groups that withdraw electrons. 

The synthesis of conductive polymers is divided into two categories— chemical polymerization and electrochemical polymerization [8,9]. Many conductive polymers can be synthesized by both chemical and electrochemical methods. In chemical synthesis, monomers are polymerized using appropriate catalysts or reagents. The morphological, physical and electro-... 

The initiators which are used in addition polymerizations are sometimes called catalysts, although strictly speaking this is a misnomer. A true catalyst is recoverable at the end of the reaction, chemically unchanged. Tliis is not true of the initiator molecules in addition polymerizations. Monomer and polymer are the initial and final states of the polymerization process, and these govern the thermodynamics of the reaction the nature and concentration of the intermediates in the process, on the other hand, determine the rate. This makes initiator and catalyst synonyms for the same material The former term stresses the effect of the reagent on the intermediate, and the latter its effect on the rate. The term catalyst is particularly common in the language of ionic polymerizations, but this terminology should not obscure the importance of the initiation step in the overall polymerization mechanism. 

We conclude this section by noting an extreme case of chain transfer, a reaction which produces radicals of such low reactivity that polymerization is effectively suppressed. Reagents that accomplish this are added to commercial monomers to prevent their premature polymerization during storage. These substances are called either retarders or inhibitors, depending on the degree of protection they afford. Such chemicals must be removed from monomers prior to use, and failure to achieve complete purification can considerably affect the polymerization reaction. 

The polymerization of ethyleneimine (16,354—357) is started by a catalyticaHy active reagent (H or a Lewis acid), which converts the ethyleneimine into a highly electrophilic initiator molecule. The initiator then reacts with nitrogen nucleophiles, such as the ethyleneimine monomer and the subsequendy formed oligomers, to produce a branched polymer, which contains primary, secondary, and tertiary nitrogen atoms in random ratios. Termination takes place by intramolecular macrocycle formation. 

Other reasons for a wide propagation of polymerization in water include (1) reduction of energy consumed to separate the initial monomer in crystal form (acrylamide is produced and used in the aqueous solution form), which, in addition, is associated with the probability of its spontaneous polymerization, and (2) recovery of the organic solvents, which results in less environmental pollution and the elimination of the stage of solution of polymer reagents used, as a rule, in the form of the aqueous solutions. 

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