Polymerization Initiated by the System Triethanolamine/Hydrogen Sulfite with and Without the Cooperation of Hydrogen Peroxide. 1. Polymerization of Acrylamide

Abstract

Abstract Attempts to initiate the aqueous polymerization of acrylamide, AAm, by the hydrogen sulfite/oxygen system failed. This is contrary to acrylic acid, whose monomer indeed undergoes initiation by the above initiator. Efforts to start the AAm polyreaction by hydrogen sulfite without air also yielded no polymer. It was discovered, however, that sodium pyrosulfite, PS, coupled with triethanolamine, TEA, in equimolar ratios provides a system, TEA/PS, able to generate radicals even at relatively low temperatures. On the basis of ESR investigations, these proved to be HSO3 active centers. At three temperature (273, 278, 283 K) at an initiator (TEA/PS) molar concentration range of c 1(0) = 0.0066–0.02 mol/dm3, and for a monomer (AAm) concentration range of c M(0) = 0.43–1.374 mol/dm3, high rates of polymerization lying between r p = 24.9 × 10−6 and 727.5 × 10−6 mol/dm3·s were determined. Linear relationships between lg(r p) vs lg(c 1(0)) at constant c M(0), and lg(r p) vs lg(c M(0)), at constant c 1(0) dis...