Chemical Preparation of Polyaniline and Its Derivatives by Using Cerium(IV) Sulfate. Novel Preparation of Polyxylidines

Abstract Polyaniline and its derivatives were prepared by using the cerium(IV) sulfate as an oxidant instead of the conventional ammonium peroxodisulfate. The reaction conditions were optimized with emphasis on the conductivity and yield. The reaction of 3,5- and 2,3-dimethylaniline using cerium(IV) sulfate gave the corresponding polymers, respectively, although no polymeric products were obtained from these aniline derivatives using ammonium peroxodisulfate as an oxidant. The polyaniline and its derivatives were characteristic of the Emeraldine structure on the basis of the IR spectra. A partially belt-like morphology of the polyaniline, when prepared in an acidic medium, was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The polymerization mechanism by cerium(IV) ions is discussed on the basis of the change in the UV-vis spectra during the reaction.