Graft Copolymerization of Acrylonitrile on to Guar Gum by Hydrogen Peroxide Initiation

Grafting of acrylonitrile on to guar gum by hydrogen peroxide initiation in aqueous media was achieved at different reaction conditions. Effects of hydrogen peroxide concentration and the amount of guar gum on grafting parameters have been discussed. Increasing H2O2 concentration (i. e. from 5 mmol to 20 mmol) increased the conversion of monomer and % add‐on, whereas the average molecular weight of grafts and the grafting frequency decreased. An increase in the amount of guar gum also increased the conversion of monomer and grafting frequency but decreased the % add‐on and increased the average molecular weight of the grafts. The graft copolymer is also characterized by infrared spectrophotometry.