Thermal decomposition of chloromethylated poly(styrene)-PAN resin and its complexes with some transition metal ions

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, E-a, the entropy change, DeltaS(*), the enthalpy change, DeltaH(*) and the Gibbs free energy of activation, DeltaG(*) 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.