Question

The commercial name of polyacrylonitrile is :
a.) dacron
b.) orlon (acrilan)
c.) PVC
d.) bakelite

Answer 1

Hint: The polyacrylonitrile as the name suggests is the polymer formed from the addition reaction of acrylonitrile. So, the commercial name is related to its monomer. This polymer is used as a substitute for wool in industrial use.

Complete Solution :
Let us start by writing what is polyacrylonitrile and how it is formed.
The polyacrylonitrile is a polymer of acrylonitrile. It is formed from addition reactions of acrylonitrile in the presence of peroxide as catalyst.
The monomer is acrylonitrile.
Thus, its commercial name is acrilan or orlon.
So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Additional Information:
PAN has low density and is thermally stable. It has high strength and modulus of elasticity. So, it is an important polymer in high tech. It is soluble in polar solvents and can behave as linear as well as branched polymer. Commercially, it is prepared by a free radical polymerization method. It is synthetically formed, semi crystalline organic polymer resin. It is thermoplastic but still thermally stable at large extent. It melts above 300 $^0C$.

Note: Polyacrylonitrile is also called PAN or polyvinyl cyanide. Its homopolymers are used as fibres in hot gas filtration systems, outdoor awnings etc. PAN can absorb many metals. Thus, it facilitates use in absorption materials. It is used as a precursor for formation of 90 % carbon fibre. The oxidized PAN fibre can be used to form flame resistant fabrics.