Stoichiometric formation of methyl methacrylate oligomer by triethylaluminum in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile

The yield of methyl methacrylate (MMA) polymerization as a function of triethylaluminum (TEA) concentration for a constant azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) concentration at 50°C has been measured. The polymerization yield does not differ markedly from that with AIBN alone as long as the initial TEA concentration is held smaller than four times the initial AIBN concentration. A sudden decrease in yield and molecular weight is observed at TEA/AIBN concentration ratios between 4 and 5. A plot of M?_w^?1 vs. TEA gives a rate-transfer constant of 89 1./mole-sec. If the reaction mixture is vacuum-evaporated with a previous addition of water, instead of precipitating the polymer, the formation of a considerable amount of MMA oligomer is detected for TEA/AIBN concentration ratios larger than 4. On the average, each TEA molecule in excess of four times the initial amount of AIBN yields one oligomer molecule. The data are consistent with a radical polymerization mechanism for the high molecular weight polymer and with a nonradical one for the oligomer formation.