Polyacrylonitrile is used as a substitute for wool in making commercial fibres as acrilan. The structure of it is:
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Polyacrylonitrile contains a nitrile (-CN) group attached to the polymer backbone, distinguishing it from other polymers with hydroxyl (-OH) or nitro (-NO_2) groups.
Polyacrylonitrile is a synthetic polymer used as a substitute for wool in textile applications under the trade name acrilan. Its repeating unit consists of a vinyl backbone with a nitrile (–CN) group attached to the carbon atom. The structure of polyacrylonitrile is represented as:
\[
\left[-CH_2 - CH-\right]_n | CN
\]
This nitrile group is responsible for the characteristic properties of polyacrylonitrile, including its strength and thermal stability, making it suitable as a wool substitute.