Thermal Decomposition of Chloromethylated Poly(styrene)-PAN Resin and Its Complexes with Some Transition Metal Ions

Abstract

The complexes formed by the chemically modified chloromethylated poly(styrene)-PAN (CMPS-PAN) as a resin chelating ion exchanger were characterized by infrared and potentiometry. The thermal degradation of pure CMPS-PAN resin and its complexes with Au³⁺, Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mn²⁺ and Pt⁴⁺ in air atmosphere has been studied using thermal gravimetry (TG) and derivative thermal gravimetry (DTG). The results showed that four different steps accompany the decomposition of CMPS-PAN resin and its complexes with the metal ions. These stages were affected by the presence of the investigated metal ions. The thermal degradation of CMPS-PAN resin in the presence of the ions showed different stability of the resin in the following decreasing order: Au³⁺>Pt⁴⁺>Mn²⁺>Cu²⁺>Cr³⁺>Fe³⁺. On the basis of the applicability of a non-isothermal kinetic equation, the decomposition process was a first-order reaction. The activation energy, Ea, the entropy change, ΔS ^*, the enthalpy change, ΔH ^* and the Gibbs free energy of activation, ΔG ^* were calculated by applying the theory of the reaction rates. The effect of the different central metal ions on the calculated thermodynamic activation parameters was discussed.