| Abstract: | In an attempt to compare relative reactivities of vinyl monomers toward grafting, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acrylic acid (AAc) were grafted separately to Himachali wool in aqueous medium by using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as redox initiator. Nitric acid was found to catalyze the reaction. Percent grafting was determined as a function of concentration of nitric acid, concentration of CAN, concentration of monomer, time, and temperature. Optimum conditions for maximum grafting were evaluated for each monomer and were found to depend upon the nature of the monomer. Reactivities of MMA and AAc toward grafting were compared with those of methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA), and vinyl acetate (VAc) reported earlier from this laboratory and were found to follow the order MA > EA > MMA > VAc > AAc. An explanation for the observed order of reactivity of different vinyl monomers is presented. |
