Polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons behind the shock front

The parameters of shock compression of some unsaturated hydrocarbons were calculated based on the assumptions of their polymerization and degradation behind the shock front. The hugoniots for acrylonitrile, acrylamide, isoprene, piperylene, octene, octyne, and some other compounds were shown to agree with those calculated on the assumption of polymerization of a starting material at mass velocities of 2-4 mm/μs or its degradation to methane and carbon at high mass velocities. Owing to polymerization, chemical transformations of unsaturated hydrocarbons are observed at lower shock wave intensities than in the case of alkanes, despite the higher energies of dissociation of double C=C bonds as compared to single bonds.