Kinetic relationships between heat generation and nitrile consumption in the reaction of poly(acrylonitrile) in air at 265°C

The kinetics of the disappearance of nitrile absorption by FTIR has been examined in terms of two distinct reaction paths each consisting of consecutive first-order processes. Deviations from simple first-order behavior can be accounted for by the dual consecutive first-order kinetic structure in both films and fibers. In the case of fibers, a single set of rate constants was determined from FTIR data and used to describe both heat generation and oxygen uptake. The mechanistic relationships between nitrile consumption, heat generation, and oxygen uptake are described.