Conversion of isopropanol and mixed alcohols to hydrocarbons using HZSM‐5 catalyst in the MixAlco™ process. Part 2: Studies at 5000 kPa (abs)

This study employed HZSM‐5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 280 mol/mol) to produce hydrocarbons from reagent‐grade isopropanol and mixed alcohols made from lignocellulosic biomass (waste office paper and chicken manure) using the MixAlco? process. All studies were performed at P = 5000 kPa (abs). The experiments were conducted in two sets: (1) vary temperature (300–450°C) at weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) = 1.92 h^?1, and (2) vary WHSV (1.92–11.52 h^?1) at T = 370°C. For isopropanol at higher temperatures, the olefins undergo more cracking reactions to produce smaller molecules and more aromatics. At low temperatures, the molecules have less energy so they do not crack and therefore form larger molecules. At T = 300°C, the carbon distribution is bimodal at C9 and C12, which shows trimerization and tetramerization of propene. At 300°C, propene was the only gas produced, cracking did not occur and therefore preserved high‐molecular‐weight molecules. For mixed alcohols, higher temperatures show significant catalyst deactivation; however, isopropanol did not show any catalyst deactivation. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1707–1715, 2016     

Hydrodesulfurization and hydroconversion of heavy FCC gasoline on PtPd/H-USY zeolite

In the search for catalysts suitable for upgrading fractions of FCC gasoline, PtPd/USY zeolite was investigated. The objectives of the work were to reduce simultaneously the sulfur, nitrogen and aromatic contents of heavy FCC gasoline having various sulfur (30–203 ppmw) and 28 ppmw nitrogen contents. The process conditions were the following: temperature: 200–300 °C; pressure: 30 bar; liquid hourly space velocity: 1.0–3.0 h⁻¹; H₂/hydrocarbon ratio: 500 m³/m³. The results indicated that PtPd/H-USY zeolite catalyst can be applied for the desulfurization of heavy FCC gasoline up to 203 ppm sulfur content. When a base heavy FCC gasoline fraction of 30 ppmw sulfur content was used the catalyst was able to reduce the aromatic content by 14 abs.% as well as sulfur and nitrogen contents to <1 ppmw in one step. Blending calculations were made to evaluate the quality of a full range FCC gasoline obtained by mixing the desulfurized heavy FCC gasoline and the untreated light cut.     

Atomic layer deposition of pure In2O3 films for a temperature range of 200–300 °C using heteroleptic liquid In(DMAMP)2(OiPr) precursor

In₂O₃ films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using a newly synthesized heteroleptic In precursor, In(DMAMP)₂(OⁱPr), and O₃ at 150–300 °C. Self-limiting growth characteristics were exhibited for a wide ALD temperature range of 200–300 °C and growth rate of 0.029–0.033 nm/cycle. At a low temperature of 150 °C, the amorphous In₂O₃ film was deposited, while polycrystalline In₂O₃ films were achieved at 200–300 °C. The In₂O₃ films grown in this ALD temperature range had high densities of 7.0–7.2 g/cm³, which are comparable to those of bulk In₂O₃. At all growth temperatures (150–300 °C), no carbon or nitrogen impurities were detected, suggesting high reactivity of the In(DMAMP)₂(OⁱPr) precursor. The ALD In₂O₃ films showed n-type electronic property with high electron concentrations of 1.6 × 10²⁰–3.6 × 10²⁰/cm³ and a Hall mobility of 31–39 cm²/V·s.     

Effect of sintering temperature on the thermal expansion behavior of ZrMgMo3O12p/2024Al composite

A 2024Al metal matrix composite with 10?vol% negative expansion ceramic ZrMgMo₃O₁₂ was fabricated by vacuum hot pressing, and the influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure and thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of alloys was investigated. Experimental results showed that all ZrMgMo₃O_12p/2024Al composites sintered at 500–530?°C had a similar reticular structure and exhibited different linear expansion coefficients at 40–150?°C and 150–300?°C. The addition of 10?vol% ZrMgMo₃O₁₂ decreased the CTEs of 2024Al by ~ 16% at 40–150?°C and by ~ 7% at 150–300?°C. This addition also increased the hardness of 2024Al by ~ 23%. The density of the composites and the content of Al₂Cu in ZrMgMo₃O_12p/2024Al increased as the sintering temperature increased. The CTEs of the composites decreased, whereas hardness increased. Thermal cycling from 40?°C to 300?°C caused the CTEs of the composites to decrease gradually and reach a stable value after seven cycles. The lowest CTEs of 15.4?×?10^?6 °C^?1 at 40–150?°C and 20.1?×?10^?6 °C^?1 at 150–300?°C were obtained after 10 thermal cycles and were reduced by ~ 32% and ~ 17%, respectively, compared with the CTE of the 2024Al. Among the current reinforcements, ZrMgMo₃O₁₂ negative expansion ceramics showed the highest efficiency to decrease the CTE of Al matrix composites.     

Novel Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet catalyst for CO preferential oxidation toward hydrogen purification

Co‐Mn‐O composite oxide nanosheet catalyst was successfully prepared using a facile urea‐assisted one‐step hydrothermal method in the absence of organic or organic templating reagent. Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet catalyst was optimized by varying hydrothermal process parameters such as molar ratio of Co‐Mn to urea, hydrothermal temperature, and hydrothermal time. Various characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and H₂ temperature‐programmed reduction were used to reveal the relationship between catalyst nature and catalytic performance in CO preferential oxidation (CO PROX) in excess H₂. The developed Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet catalyst have demonstrated much superior catalytic performance to Co‐Mn‐O nanoparticle, particularly in the low temperature range, and 100% CO conversion over the developed Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet can be achieved in temperature range of 50 to 150°C at 10,000 mL g^?1 h^?1 of gas hourly space velocity in the standard feed. Furthermore, the almost complete CO removal over Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet at 125°C of low temperature with 94.9% selectivity can be achieved even in the simulated reformed gas. The excellent catalytic performance is ascribed to nanosheet morphology, more surface Co³⁺, smaller average crystallite size, higher reducibility, and strong Co‐Mn interaction. Catalytic stability investigation indicates the developed nanostructured catalyst exhibits high catalytic stability for CO PROX reaction in simulated gas. The developed Co‐Mn‐O nanosheet catalyst can be a potential candidate for catalytic elimination of trace CO from H₂‐rich gas for Proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 239–252, 2015     

Deactivation kinetics of a HZSM‐5 zeolite catalyst treated with alkali for the transformation of bio‐ethanol into hydrocarbons

The kinetics of deactivation by coke of a HZSM‐5 zeolite catalyst in the transformation of bioethanol into hydrocarbons has been studied. To attenuate deactivation, the following treatments have been carried out: (i) the zeolite has been subjected to a treatment with alkali to reduce the acid strength of the sites and (ii) it has subsequently been agglomerated into a macro and meso‐porous matrix of bentonite and alumina. The experimental study has been conducted in a fixed bed reactor under the following conditions: temperature, between 300 and 400°C; pressure, 1 atm; space‐time, up to 1.53 (g of catalyst) h (g of ethanol)^?1; particle size of the catalyst, between 0.3 and 0.6 mm; feed flowrate, 0.16 cm³ min^?1 of ethanol+water and 30 cm³ (NC) min^?1 of N₂; water content in the feed, up to 75 wt %; time on stream, up to 31 h. The expression for deactivation kinetics is dependent on the concentration of hydrocarbons and water in the reaction medium (which attenuates the deactivation) and, together with the kinetics at zero time on stream, allows the calculation of the evolution with time on stream of the yields and distribution of products (ethylene, propylene and butenes, C₁‐C₃ paraffins, and C₄‐C₁₂). By increasing the temperature in the 300–400°C range the role of ethylene on coke deposition is more significant than that of the other hydrocarbons (propylene, butenes and C₄‐C₁₂), which contribute to a greater extent to the formation of coke at 300°C. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 526–537, 2012.     

Catalyst for selective hydrotreating of catalytic cracking gasoline without preliminary fractionation

A new CoMo catalyst for selective hydrotreating of FCC gasoline has been developed; the catalyst is intended for the production of hydrotreated gasoline with up to 10 ppm of sulfur and with a research octane number decreased by less than 1.0. The new catalyst allows hydrotreating of FCC gasoline without its preliminary separation into the light and heavy fractions. The hydrotreating conditions were as follows: hourly space velocity 2.2 h^–1, temperature 270°C, pressure 2.5 MPa, H₂/feed = 150 m³/m³. The high degree of hydrodesulfurization at minimum decrease in the octane number is achieved due to the high activity of the developed catalyst in hydrodesulfurization of the sulfur-containing components of the feedstock and conversion of reactive high-octane olefins of FCC gasoline into less reactive derivatives with high octane numbers. The catalyst is a CoMoS phase deposited on a support containing amorphous aluminosilicate and γ-Al₂O₃. The method for the preparation of the catalyst is adapted to the equipment of Russian plants and feedstocks. The parameters of hydrotreating using this catalyst ensure the hydrotreating of FCC gasoline to a residual sulfur content of less than 10 ppm with minimum redesign of the equipment currently available at Russian refineries.     

Cross‐linking of ethylene‐octene copolymer (EOC) by dicumyl peroxide (DCP)

Ethylene‐octene copolymer (EOC) was crosslinked by dicumyl peroxide (DCP) at various temperatures (150–200°C). Six concentrations of DCP in range 0.2–0.7 wt % were investigated. cross‐linking was studied by rubber process analyzer (RPA) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From RPA data analysis real part modulus s', tan δ, and reaction rate were investigated as a function of peroxide content and temperature. The highest s'_max and the lowest tan δ were found for 0.7% of DCP at 150°C. Chain scission was analyzed by slope analysis of conversion ratio, X in times after reaching the maximum. Less susceptible to chain scission are temperatures in range 150–170°C and peroxide levels 0.2–0.5%. Heat of reaction was analyzed by DSC at various heating rates (5–40°C min⁻¹). It was found to be exothermic. By projection to zero heating rate, the reaction was found to start at 128°C with the maximum at 168°C. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Influence of technological parameters on the epoxidation of 1‐butene‐3‐ol over titanium silicalite TS‐2 catalyst

BACKGROUND: The influence of technological parameters on the epoxidation of 1‐butene‐3‐ol (1B3O) over titanium silicalite TS‐2 catalyst has been investigated. Epoxidations were carried out using 30%(w/w) hydrogen peroxide at atmospheric pressure. The major product from the epoxidation of B3O was 1,2‐epoxybutane‐3‐ol, with many potential applications. RESULTS: The influence of temperature (20–60 °C), 1B3O/H₂O₂ molar ratio (1:1–5:1), methanol concentration (5–90%(w/w)), TS‐2 catalyst concentration (0.1–6.0%(w/w)) and reaction time (0.5–5.0 h) have been studied. CONCLUSION: The epoxidation process is most effective if conducted at a temperature of 20 °C, 1B3O/H₂O₂ molar ratio 1:1, methanol concentration (used as the solvent) 80%(w/w), catalyst concentration 5%(w/w) and reaction time 5 h. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Galvanic deposition of silver on 80‐μm‐Cu‐fiber for gas‐phase oxidation of alcohols

Microstructured Ag‐based catalysts were developed by galvanically depositing Ag onto 80‐μm‐Cu‐fibers for the gas‐phase oxidation of alcohols. By taking advantages including large voidage, open porous structure and high heat/mass transfer, as‐made catalysts provided a nice combination of high activity/selectivity and enhanced heat transfer. The best catalyst was Ag‐10/80‐Cu‐fiber‐400 (Ag‐loading: 10 wt%; Cu‐fiber pretreated at 400 °C in air), being effective for oxidizing acyclic, benzylic and polynary alcohols. For benzyl alcohol, conversion of 94% was achieved with 99% selectivity to benzaldehyde at 300 °C using a high WHSV of 20 h^?1. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculation and experimental result illustrated significant enhancement of the heat transfer. The temperature difference from reactor wall to central line was about 10–20 °C for the Ag‐10/80‐Cu‐fiber‐400, much lower than that of 100–110 °C for the Ag‐10‐Cu‐2/Al₂O₃ at equivalent conversion and selectivity. Synergistic interaction between Cu₂O and Ag was discussed, being assignable to the activity improvement. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1045–1053, 2014     

Sintering‐induced aromatization during n‐heptane reforming on Pt/Al2O3 catalysts

A platinum/alumina catalyst was sintered in oxygen and hydrogen atmospheres using two metal loadings of the catalyst: 0.3% Pt and 0.6% Pt. After sintering, the aromatization selectivity was investigated with the reforming of n‐heptane as the model reaction at a temperature of 500 °C and a pressure of 391.8 kPa. The primary products of n‐heptane reforming on the fresh platinum catalysts were methane and toluene, with subsequent conversion of benzene from toluene demethylation. To induce sintering, the catalysts were treated with oxygen at a flow rate of 60 mL min^?1, pressure of 195.9 kPa and temperatures between 500 and 800 °C. The 0.3% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited enhanced aromatization selectivity at various sintering temperatures while the 0.6% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst was inherently hydrogenolytic. The fact that aromatization was absent on the 0.6% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst was attributed to the presence of surface structures with dimensionality between two and three as opposed to essentially 2‐D structures on the 0.3% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst surface. On the 0.3% Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst, the reaction product ranged from only toluene at a 500 °C sintering temperature to predominantly cracked product at a sintering temperature of 650 °C and no reaction at 800 °C. For sintering at about 650 °C, subsequent conversion of n‐heptane was complete and dropped thereafter. The turnover number was observed to change from 0.07 to 2.26 s^?1 as the dispersion changed from 0.33 to 0.09. The Koros–Nowark (K–N) test was used to check for the presence of internal diffusional incursions and Boudart's criterion was used for structural sensitivity determination. The K–N test indicated the absence of diffusional resistances while n‐heptane reforming was found to be structure sensitive on the Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

A Novel Process for Renewable Methane Production: Combining Direct Air Capture by K<Subscript>2</Subscript>CO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Alumina Sorbent with CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Methanation over Ru/Alumina Catalyst

CO₂ methanation over supported ruthenium catalysts is considered to be a promising process for carbon capture and utilization and power-to-gas technologies. In this work 4% Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst was synthesized by impregnation of the support with an aqueous solution of Ru(OH)Cl₃, followed by liquid phase reduction using NaBH₄ and gas phase activation using the stoichiometric mixture of CO₂ and H₂ (1:4). Kinetics of CO₂ methanation reaction over the Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst was studied in a perfectly mixed reactor at temperatures from 200 to 300 °C. The results showed that dependence of the specific activity of the catalyst on temperature followed the Arrhenius law. CO₂ conversion to methane was shown to depend on temperature, water vapor pressure and CO₂:H₂ ratio in the gas mixture. The Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst was later tested together with the K₂CO₃/Al₂O₃ composite sorbent in the novel direct air capture/methanation process, which combined in one reactor consecutive steps of CO₂ adsorption from the air at room temperature and CO₂ desorption/methanation in H₂ flow at 300 or 350 °C. It was demonstrated that the amount of desorbed CO₂ was practically the same for both temperatures used, while the total conversion of carbon dioxide to methane was 94.2–94.6% at 300 °C and 96.1–96.5% at 350 °C.     

Low‐Temperature Sintering of β‐Spodumene Ceramics Using Li2O–GeO2 as a Sintering Additive

Low‐temperature sintering of β‐spodumene ceramics with low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was attained using Li₂O–GeO₂ sintering additive. Single‐phase β‐spodumene ceramics could be synthesized by heat treatment at 1000°C using highly pure and fine amorphous silica, α‐alumina, and lithium carbonate powders mixture via the solid‐state reaction route. The mixture was calcined at 950°C, finely pulverized, compacted, and finally sintered with or without the sintering additive at 800°C–1400°C for 2 h. The relative density reached 98% for the sample sintered with 3 mass% Li₂O–GeO₂ additive at 1000°C. Its Young's modulus was 167 GPa and flexural strength was 115 MPa. Its CTE (from R.T. to 800°C) was 0.7 × 10^?6 K^?1 and dielectric constant was 6.8 with loss tangent of 0.9% at 5 MHz. These properties were excellent or comparative compared with those previously reported for the samples sintered at around 1300°C–1400°C via melt‐quenching routes. As a result, β‐spodumene ceramics with single phase and sufficient properties were obtained at about 300°C lower sintering temperature by adding Li₂O–GeO₂ sintering additive via the conventional solid‐state reaction route. These results suggest that β‐spodumene ceramics sintered with Li₂O–GeO₂ sintering additive has a potential use as LTCC for multichip modules.     

Some catalytic properties of silica‐supported base and metal porphyrins for hydrocarbon cracking and hydrogenation

A base porphyrin, etioporphyrin (EPI), has been synthesised and a number of metal–etioporphyrin compounds have been derived from EPI by metal insertion, these being nickel, vanadyl, palladium and platinum. The metal–etioporphyrins were supported on silica gel with loadings of 0.5–5.0% (w/w) to be employed as catalysts for hydrocarbon cracking and to a minor extent for hydrogenation. The porphyrins themselves were characterised using temperature programmed decomposition (TPD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), mass spectroscopy (MS) and infra‐red (IR) spectroscopy. TPD studies up to 550 °C indicated complete stability and TPR studies (20–500 °C) showed interaction with hydrogen, nickel–EPI and Pd–EPI especially showing strong interaction. MS studies showed that metal insertion had occurred for VO–EPI and Ni–EPI and Pd insertion was demonstrated to have occurred using an analytical method. IR spectroscopy carried out on VO–EPI and Ni–EPI showed an absence of ? NH linkages, again confirming metal insertion. The behaviour of the catalysts for hydrocarbon cracking was studied using 2,2‐dimethylbutane (2,2‐DMB) as the model reactant in the temperature range 440–550 °C and thermally in the temperature range 440–600 °C and at 1 at, m (101.3 kPa) pressure. All porphyrins, even the base porphyrin, exhibited cracking activity and the catalysed reaction had an energy of activation, depending on the porphyrin, in the range 78–113 kJ/mol^?1, compared with a value of 210 kJ mol^?1 for the thermal reaction. The product distribution was dominated by C₁ and C₂ hydrocarbons and is typical of a free radical reaction, the thermal reaction giving a similar product distribution, so that the porphyrin catalyst acts as a free radical initiator. Hydrogenation studies using hex‐1‐ene at 150 °C and at 1 atm. pressure showed that Pd–EPI/SiO₂ was an active and possibly stable hydrogenation catalyst, whereas Ni–EPI/SiO₂ while of only slightly lower activity initially, lost that activity so that the Pd–EPI catalyst was over 16 times more active at the end of a 2 h period. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

The synthesis and application of Pb‐doped GLYMO/chelated‐zirconium complex coating materials for UV‐light absorption

New glass coating materials containing γ‐glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy‐silane/zirconium(IV)‐n‐propoxide(2‐methoxyethylacetoacetate)/lead(II) nitrate were developed for UV‐light absorption by sol‐gel process. The effect of agitation time, temperature, and Zr complex and Pb²⁺ ion concentrations on UV light absorption were investigated. Zr complex was characterized by using ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy was utilized to determine the optical properties of coating materials. Results showed that coated glass has very low transmission in the UV region (300–400 nm) relative to uncoated glass, especially at 150°C for 15 h agitation. UV light transmission of coated glasses treated at 80, 100, 450, or 500°C was not different from uncoated glass. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1175–1179, 2006     

Preparation and kinetic analysis of PS‐b‐PBA block copolymer by 4‐oxo‐TEMPO capped polystyrene macroinitiators

Polystyrene‐block‐poly(n‐butyl acrylate) block copolymers were prepared from 4‐oxo‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinooxy (4‐oxo‐TEMPO) capped polystyrene macroinitiators at a high temperature, 165°C. It was found that the number‐average molecular weight of PBA chains in block copolymers could reach above 10,000 rapidly at early stage of polymerization with a narrow polydispersity index of 1.2–1.4, but after that, the polymerization seemed to be retarded. Furthermore, according to the kinetic analysis, the concentration of 4‐oxo‐TEMPO was increased mainly by the hydrogen transfer reaction of hydroxylamine (4‐oxo‐TEMPOH) to growing radicals during polymerization. This increase in 4‐oxo‐TEMPO concentration could retard the growth of polymer chains. The rate constant of the hydrogen transfer reaction of 4‐oxo‐TEMPOH to growing radicals, k_H, estimated by the kinetic model is about 9.33 × 10⁴M^‐1s^?1 at 165°C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

加氢精制汽油重硫醇脱臭催化剂的性能

以酞菁钴与氯磺酸为原料,于130℃合成了四磺酸基酞菁钴催化剂,采用电位滴定法重点考察了该催化剂对模拟汽油体系及加氢汽油中重硫醇的脱除效果。结果表明,所制备的催化剂对大分子硫醇有较好的脱除效果,且在工业条件限制下,最佳反应温度为45℃;催化剂含量越大,硫醇脱除效果越好;正构硫醇及低碳数硫醇的脱除较为容易;可将油品中约100μg/g的硫醇硫降至5μg/g以下,博士实验合格。     

High‐performance HTLcs‐derived CuZnAl catalysts for hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming

A series of CuZnAl oxide‐composite catalysts were prepared via decomposition of CuZnAl hydrotalcite‐like compounds (HTLcs). The catalysts derived from CuZnAl HTLcs (Cu: 37%, Zn: 15%, Al: 48% mol; using metal nitrate or acetate precursors) at 600°C provided excellent activity and stability for the methanol steam reforming. CuZnAl HTLcs were almost decomposed completely at 600°C to form highly dispersed CuO with large specific surface area while forming CuAl₂O₄ spinel that played a key role in separating and stabilizing the nano‐sized Cu and ZnO during the reaction. The CuZnAl catalyst prepared from metal acetates could highly convert H₂O/MeOH (1.3/1, mol/mol) mixture into hydrogen with only ～0.05% CO at 250°C or ～0.005% at 210°C. It is evidenced that the former afforded stronger Cu‐ZnO interaction, which might be the intrinsic reason for the significant promotion of catalyst selectivity. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

汽油中不同结构硫醇氧化行为的研究

在高剪切分散乳化机的作用下对含有不同结构硫醇的油样进行脱臭，通过改变加入硫醇的种类和含量，考察了不同结构硫醇脱臭的差别及其相互作用。实验结果表明，不同结构的硫醇其氧化脱除速度不同，碳链越长，异构程度越大，氧化脱除的速度越慢。但由于高剪切分散乳化机高效的混合效率，提高了脱臭效率，彼此间的差别大大减小。向叔丁硫醇中加入其它结构简单的硫醇后，可以促进叔丁硫醇的氧化脱除，并利用负离子-自由基机理对上述现象进行了解释。     

Modification of butadiene–acrylonitrile and styrene–acrylonitrile copolymerizations in emulsion systems

Modification of acrylonitrile in copolymerizations with butadiene and with styrene in hot and cold emulsion recipes has been studied. Series of primary, secondary, and tertiary mercaptans in addition to several miscellaneous modifiers were tested. Kinetically the rate data for the monomer pairs containing acrylonitrile better fit first-order plots than the curves obtained for an ideal emulsion polymerization. In this study all modifier depletions in nitrile systems were plotted as log mercaptan versus log conversion and the slope of the curve was taken as the transfer constant. Normal mercaptans were inefficient modifiers in nitrile systems as determined in polymerization and depletion experiments. Secondary mercaptans, 2-nonyl, 2-decyl, and mixtures in this molecular weight range, were promising modifiers for low temperature (5°C.) nitrile systems. 2-Nonyl mercaptan gave enhanced modification by incremental addition of the modifier indicating this procedure could be used to advantage in preparing nitrile rubbers. The series of tertiary mercaptans from C₁₃ to C₇ showed an improvement in modification of low temperature nitrile systems as the molecular weight decreased. A plot of the data on a molar basis shows that the optimum modifier falls in the C₉–C₈ range. The optimum transfer constant for the most efficient modification of 70/30 and of 80/20 butadiene–acrylonitrile polymerizations at 5°C. terminated at 60% conversion is 2. Depletion data show that the transfer constant for a mercaptan decreases as the nitrile content in mixtures with butadiene increases. The properties of the vulcanizates of the 70/30 and 80/20 butadiene–acrylonitrile polymers prepared in the presence of low molecular weight mercaptans were equivalent to or better than those of the controls. These data show that nitrile polymers could be modified with a lower molecule weight mercaptan with no loss of properties but with a considerable saving in amount of modifier. Mercaptans are essential for the initiation of butadiene–acrylonitrile in the presence of persulfate at 50°C. For the hot nitrile rubber preparations, the series of mercaptan from t-C₁₀ to t-C₇ are efficient modifiers. However, the heptyl and octyl mercaptans are retarders, and the t-C₉ and t-C₁₀ are the preferred modifiers for efficiency and unretarded polymerization. The modification with a series of mercaptans ranging from t-C_13.2 to t-C₈ of 75/25 styreneacrylonitrile at 50°C. in presence of persulfate–bisulfite showed a consistent behavior. The transfer constant decreased in a regular manner as the molecular weight of the mercaptan increased, and for the series of tertiary modifiers the t-C₁₀ mercaptan was the most efficient as judged by a melt flow test.