Adiabatic polymerization of acrylamide using a persulfate–bisulfite redox couple

The temperature rise during the adiabatic polymerization of acrylamide in water has been used to characterize the kinetic parameters. Based on initial rate data, the following equation is obtained: where concentrations of monomer, persulfate, and bisulfite are in mole/kg, T is in K, and t is in min. The order with respect to monomer is confirmed by an analysis of the entire temperature–time record during polymerization. The persulfate–bisulfite couple was studied also in the absence of monomer. Concentrations were measured by UV absorbance and by permanganate titration. The reaction can be represented by: where concentrations are in mole/liter, T is in K, and t is in min.