Kinetic studies of grafting of maleic anhydride to hydrocarbon substrates

Abstract

AbstractThe kinetics of grafting of maleic anhydride to various hydrocarbon substrates has been investigated. Grafting to eicosane and squalane was effected in the pure hydrocarbons and in 1,2‐dichlorobenzene solution, while polyethylene was grafted only in solution. The initiator was 2,5‐dimethyl‐2,5‐di(t‐butylperoxy)‐3‐hexyne which has a half life of about 1 h at a typical reaction temperature of 150°C. At high concentrations of initiator (Ca. 0.02M), the rate of disappearance of maleic anhydride is linear with time. In the pure hydrocarbons the order with respect to initiator is close to 0.5. In squalane, the overall activation energy is 112 kJ mol−1; the average number of maleic anhydride molecules grafted per molecule of peroxide decomposed varies from 8 at high rates of initiation to 57 at low rates of initiation. The results are interpreted in terms of a chain mechanism, including a slow propagation step in which a succinic anhydride radical abstracts hydrogen from the same or a different chain. The same general mechanism is proposed for grafting of maleic anhydride to polyethylene and the hydrocarbons in 1,2‐dichlorobenzene solution.