Radiation‐induced polymerization of acrylonitrile in liquid ethylene

Abstract A mixed system of acrylonitrile and ethylene was irradiated with γ‐rays from a Co 60 source at −78°C. In the mixed system, ethylene did not polymerize, and only acrylonitrile polymerized. It was found that polymerizations due to both CC double bond and the CN triple bond of acrylonitrile occurred in the mixed system. The ratio of one type of polymerization to the other varied continuously with concentration of the monomer; the polymerization of CC only occurs in bulk (100% monomer), as well known, but on the other hand, the polymerization of CN occurs predominantly in a dilute solution of the monomer. The polymerization due to CN triple bond would be by an ionic mechanism, probably an anionic. The experiments showed that the polymerization of acrylonitrile in the ethylene solution proceeds by a partial ionic mechanism at moderate concentrations of the monometer. The product obtained by the polymerization in such a mixed system is a mixture of polymers having the following structures: magnified image and magnified image