Phase transfer catalysed copolymerization (Kinetics and mechanism of copolymerization of acrylonitrile and styrene initiated by PDS – benzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride initiator system under biphase condition)

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/msri/040222

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The Phase–transfer radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) and styrene (ST) with
benzyl-triphenylphosphoniumchloride was investigated in K2S2O8 aqueous-organic biphase system
at 65°± 0.1°C and under nitrogen atmosphere. The rate of copolymerization was expressed as the
combined terms of benzyl-triphenylphosphonium ion and peroxydisulphate ion in the aqueous
phase rather than the fed concentration of catalyst and K2S2O8. The effects of varying [AN/ST],
[ K2S2O8],[QX],[H+],ionic strength of the medium, and the temperature on the rate of copolymerization
(Rp) have also been studied. Rp is found to be proportional to [AN/ST]1,[ K2S2O8]0.5 and [QX]1.
Based on the kinetics results, a mechanism involving initiation by phase transferred S2O8
2- is
proposed.

Copolymerization, acrylonitrile, styrene, Phase transfer catalyst