Polymerization of Acrylamide by Peroxodiphosphate/Different Activators Redox System in an Aqueous Medium

The polymerization of acrylamide initiated by potassium peroxodiphosphate in combination with different activators (viz., sorbose and thiourea) was studied in an aqueous medium at 40 ± 0°C in an inert atmosphere. The rate of polymerization was found to be first power to the monomer and half power to the initiator concentration. Sorbose and thiourea have half and unit orders, respectively. The overall energy of activation was found to be 38 ± 2 and 47 ± 2 kJ/mol for peroxodiphosphate/sorbose and peroxodiphosphate/thiourea redox systems, respectively. The effects of various additives, such as organic solvents, neutral salts, surfactants, and sulfuric acid, were studied. The viscometric-average molecular weight and the degree of polymerization were determined viscometrically.