Abstract: | Bulk polymerization of N-Vinylcarbazole (NVC) has been carried out using vanadium pentoxide as the contact catalyst. The rate of polymerizatlon has been found to depend upon catalyst to monomer ratio. A cationic mechanism has been suggested and the role of V2O5 surface in the polymerization has been tentatively analyzed. The π-acid characteristies of V5⊕ ion is believed to be involved in initiating the polymerization. The effect of a number of additives on the polymerization rate has been studied, which endorses the cationic mechanism. The catalytic efficiency of a number of metal vanadates for the polymerization of NVC has also been studied. A fairly good correlation between the activity and electronegativity of the metallic moiety has been established. |