THE KINETICS OF CUPRENE GROWTH
The kinetics of the polymerization of acetylene to cuprene on a copper catalyst between 200° and 300 °C. have been studied manometrically in a static system. The maximum velocity of the autocatalytic reaction shows a first-order dependence upon acetylene pressure. The reaction is retarded in the presence of small amounts of oxygen but accelerated by preoxidation of the catalyst. The apparent activation energy, of about 10 kcal. per mole for cuprene growth between 210° and 280 °C., changes to about 40 kcal. per mole above 280 °C. at which temperature a second reaction seems to set in. Hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or nitric oxide has no effect on the reaction velocity. Series of five successive seedings have been obtained with cuprene originally grown on cuprite, and show an effect of aging of the cuprene.