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When acrylic polymers are burned, toxic fumes are produced. For example, in many airplane fires, more passenger deaths have been caused by breathing toxic fumes than by the fire itself. Using polyacrylonitrile as an example, what would you expect to be one of the most toxic, gaseous combustion products created in the reaction?

Short Answer

Expert verified
When polyacrylonitrile (PAN) undergoes combustion, one of the most toxic gaseous products formed is hydrogen cyanide (HCN). HCN is a highly poisonous compound that can be lethal when inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested, making it especially hazardous during fires involving acrylic polymers.

Step by step solution

01

Examine polyacrylonitrile's chemical structure

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a polymer made up of repeating units of acrylonitrile, whose chemical formula is C₃H₃N. Its structure contains a nitrile group (-C≡N) and a vinyl group (-CH=CH₂).
02

Predict the products of combustion

Combustion is a reaction with oxygen (Oâ‚‚). When a substance, in this case, polyacrylonitrile, undergoes combustion, it typically forms products such as water (Hâ‚‚O) and carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚). Additionally, due to the presence of the nitrile group, it can also form hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and nitrogen gas (Nâ‚‚), among other products.
03

Identify toxic combustion products

From the predicted products listed in Step 2, we can notice that hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is the most toxic gaseous product. HCN is a highly poisonous compound that can be lethal when inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or ingested. As a result, it is crucial to consider the dangers of HCN exposure during fires involving the combustion of acrylic polymers, such as polyacrylonitrile.

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