Graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto cotton cellulose by potassium permanganate–thioacetamide redox system

The graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto cotton, initiated by the KMnO 4 –thioacet‐amide redox system in an aqueous medium, has been investigated. The percentage graft yield was determined by varying the concentrations of KMnO 4 , acrylonitrile, thioacetamide, and temperature. The percentage graft yield increased initially and then decreased with increasing concentrations of KMnO 4 and thioacetamide, with an optimum yield not greater than 21%. The percentage graft yield, however, was greatly enhanced with a value of up to 66% as the concentration of acrylonitrile was increased. The percentage graft yield increased with temperature in the range of 35–70°C with a calculated activation energy of 8.33 Kcal/mol. The effects of solvents and amines on the percentage graft yield were also investigated.