Molecular geometry and electronic structure of molecules in free‐radical copolymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate derived from density functional calculations

The molecular geometry and electronic structure of styrene and methyl methacrylate as well as corresponding radicals formed by the addition of a methyl radical to the β‐carbon of the monomer were determined using the density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐311+G** level. Results were in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental data available in the literature. Full optimized molecular geometry of methyl methacrylate showed the trans form of the molecule. Monomers transformed into corresponding radicals preserved the main structural parameters of substituents whereas bonds between substituents and adjacent radical carbon atoms shortened. It was found that the correlation of the theoretically calculated electronic parameters for monomers and the corresponding radicals with the Q and e parameters from the Alfrey–Price scheme strongly depends on the level of calculations. Application of the higher level of theory including the correlation effect changes the relationship discussed in the literature between energy (E_Y) of formation of a radical from the monomer, the experimental e parameter, and the Q parameter and monomer/average electronegativity, respectively. The total atomic spin density at the radical carbon atom correlated with the radical parameter P in the Alfrey–Price scheme was computed to be higher for the methoxycarbonyl‐1‐methyl‐ethyl radical when compared with the 1‐phenyl‐propyl radical. These values are in good agreement with the localization energies and the P values determined from the kinetic measurements for macroradicals ending with styrene and methyl methacrylate monomer units. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3761–3769, 2001     

Direct rotating-sector studies of the systems: Styrene–methyl methacrylate and styrene–methyl acrylate

The rotating-sector technique was applied directly in a study of two copolymerization systems: styrene–methyl methacrylate and styrene–methyl acrylate. The two coupled rate expressions which describe the change in radical concentrations for two-component polymerizations degenerate into a single expression identical in form to the radical expression for a homopolymerization when the ratio of the radical concentrations under intermittent illumination is assumed constant and equal to the ratio under steady illumination. Numerical solutions of the complete rate expression by use of constants from the literature confirm that this assumption is valid for a rotating-sector experiment. The overall lifetimes of these two-component systems were defined and measured experimentally as a function of monomer composition and then compared with lifetimes calculated by using literature rate constants. The agreement was satisfactory. The direct application of the technique to the two-component system provides an independent experiment which for some systems seems to be more sensitive to the value of the cross-termination constant than the usual steady-state method.     

Pulsed laser terpolymerization of styrene,methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate

The propagation rate coefficient of the terpolymerization of styrene, methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate in bulk was successfully determined at three different monomer compositions. The temperature was varied between 18 and 80°C. The resulting data at 50°C were not in agreement with predictions according to the terminal model with binary reactivity ratios that have been determined by fitting copolymer composition data with the terminal model. This indicates that here also the penultimate unit affects the kinetics.     

Kinetics of radical polymerization—XXXIX Investigation of the polymerizations of butyl acrylate and methyl acrylate in solution

The kinetics of free radical polymerizations of methyl and butyl acrylate were studied in benzene at 50°. The initiation rate constant determined by the inhibition method was found to be constant over the whole monomer-solvent composition range in both systems. The polymerization rate was investigated as a function of initiator and monomer concentrations. In accordance with theory, an initiator order of 0.5 was obtained for both systems; monomer orders > 1 were found. This solvent effect could not be explained either in terms of the diffusion theory or by the theory of EDA complexes; complete agreement was found between experimental results and the theory of hot radicals.     

Copolymerization behavior of 2-vinylbenzofuran: Copolymers of ethyl acrylate,n-butyl acrylate,and methyl methacrylate

The reactivity of 2-vinylbenzofuran in copolymerization reactions with n-butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate was investigated. The vinylbenzofuran was found to be a very reactive monomer with the growing chain preferring to react with this monomer no matter what its terminus. Reactivity ratios were calculated using a nonlinear least squares error-in-variables method, which gives more reliable values of r₁ and r₂.     

Organotin polymers—II.Copolymerization parameters for tributyltin methacrylate with methyl acrylate,ethyl acrylate,butyl acrylate and acrylonitrile

Copolymerizations of tributyltin methacrylate (M₁) with methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate and acrylonitrile were carried out in solution at 70° using azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. Copolymer compositions were determined by tin analysis; monomer reactivity ratios were calculated by Fineman-Ross and Kelen-Tüdös methods. The reactivities of acrylic esters decrease as the alkyl group becomes bulkier. Azeotropic copolymers could be formed from tributyltin methacrylate with butyl acrylate and with acrylonitrile. The structures of M₁ and its azeotropic copolymers have been investigated by infrared spectroscopy.     

Determination of chain transfer constant to dodecanethiol in styrene/methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate copolymerization and effect of chain length on composition and stereochemical configuration of copolymers

Free radical copolymerization of styrene/methyl methacrylate (S/MMA) and butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate (BA/MMA) in the presence of n-dodecanthiol (DDT) has been studied at 60°C in a 3 mol/L benzene solution using 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as initiator. Overall chain transfer constant to DDT has been determined for both copolymerization systems, as a function of monomer feed composition using complete molecular weight distribution and the Mayo method. Overall transfer coefficients have values which are dependent on both monomer feed composition and individual comonomer transfer values. Composition, sequence distribution, and stereoregularity of copolymers obtained are, in our experimental conditions, independent of copolymer molecular weight. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2913–2925, 1998     

A tracer study of the hydrolysis of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate units in homopolymers and copolymers

Homopolymers and copolymers were prepared from methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, and styrene by radical reactions at 60°C. Monomers suitably labeled with carbon-14 were used so that it was possible to monitor the hydrolysis of ester groups in the polymers during treatment under alkaline conditions. It was found that methyl acrylate units were hydrolyzed completely whatever their environment in a polymer chain. Under the same conditions only about 9% of the ester groups in a homopolymer of methyl methacrylate reacted; the proportion was increased by the introduction of comonomer units into the polymer chain. For copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methyl acrylate the extent of reaction may be correlated with the lengths of the sequences of methyl methacrylate units.     

Computational study of cyclohexanone-monomer co-initiation mechanism in thermal homo-polymerization of methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate

This paper presents a systematic computational study of the mechanism of cyclohexanone-monomer co-initiation in high-temperature homopolymerization of methyl acrylate (MA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). Previous experimental studies of spontaneous thermal homopolymerization of MA and MMA showed higher monomer conversion in the presence of cyclohexanone than xylene. However, these studies did not reveal the initiation mechanism(s) or the initiating species. To identify the initiation mechanism and the initiating species, we explore four different mechanisms, (1) Kaim, (2) Flory, (3) α-position hydrogen transfer, and (4) Mayo, using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) calculations. Transition-state geometries for each mechanism are determined using B3LYP/6-31G* and assessed with MP2/6-31G*. Activation energies and rate constants are calculated using transition-state theory. The harmonic oscillator approximation and tunneling corrections are applied to compute the reaction rate constants. This study indicates that α-position hydrogen transfer and Mayo mechanisms have comparable barriers and are capable of generating monoradicals for initiating polymerization of MA and MMA; these two mechanisms can cause cyclohexanone-monomer co-initiation in thermal polymerization of MA and MMA.     

Introduction of 2-methoxycarbonylallyl end group by copolymerization of methyl α-(phenoxymethyl)acrylate accompanying with addition-fragmentation reaction

Copolymerizations of methyl α-(phenoxymethyl)acrylate (MPMA) with methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, styrene, and methyl α-ethylacrylate were carried out. Addition of a polymer radical to MPMA followed by the subsequent fragmentation of poly(MPMA) radical resulted in the 2-methoxycarbonylallyl end group and phenoxy radical in the course of the copolymerization. The extent of the fragmentation determined by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy depends on reactivity of the MPMA radical toward the reference monomers. An increase in the addition rate of the MPMA radical to the reference monomer brought about suppression of the fragmentation. The addition of the MPMA radical to styrene seems to be sufficiently fast to prevent the fragmentation. Since the rate of the fragmentation relative to the propagation was considerably accelerated by raising the temperature to 110°C, MPMA can be used as a novel chain transfer agent to control molecular weight and end group at a temperature above 100°C. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl acrylate,methyl methacrylate and styrene in the presence of trolamine as a highly effective promoter

Transition metal-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) is a ‘‘living'/controlled radical polymerization. Recently, there has been widely increasing interest in reducing the high costs of catalyst separation and post-polymerization purification in ATRP. In this work, trolamine was found to significantly enhance the catalytical performance of Cu Br/N,N,N0,N0-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine(Cu Br/TPEN) and Cu Br/tris[2-(dimethylamino) ethylamine](Cu Br/Me6TREN). With the addition of 25-fold molar amount of trolamine relative to Cu Br, the catalyst loadings of Cu Br/TPEN and Cu Br/Me6 TREN were dramatically reduced from a catalyst-to-initiator ratio of 1 to 0.01 and 0.05,respectively. The polymerizations of methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and styrene still showed first-order kinetics in the presence of trolamine and produced poly(methyl acrylate), poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene with molecular weights close to theoretical values and low polydispersities. These results indicate that trolamine is a highly effective and versatile promoter for ATRP and is promising for potential industrial application.     

Emulsion co- and terpolymerization of styrene,methyl methacrylate,and methyl acrylate. I. Experimental determination and model prediction of composition drift and microstructure in batch reactions

In Part I of this series the reactivity ratios of the comonomer pair methyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate were determined with low-conversion bulk polymerizations. It was shown that the binary reactivity ratios of the systems styrene-methyl acrylate, styrene-methyl methacrylate, and methyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate describe composition drift in low-coversion bulk terpolymerizations with these monomers reasonably well. A computer model was developed to simulate the composition drift in emulsion co- and terpolymerizations. The composition drift in two batch emulsion copolymerization systems (styrene-methyl acrylate and methyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate) and one emulsion terpolymerization system (styrene-methyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate) was investigated both experimentally and with the model. Experimental results were compared with model calculations. The copolymer chemical composition distributions (CCD) were determined with gradient polymer elution chromatography (GPEC®). This technique was also used for the first time to obtain information about the extent of composition drift in emulsion terpolymerizations. Cumulative terpolymer compositions were determined with ³H-NMR as a function of conversion and with this information the three-dimensional CCD was obtained. The composition drift was analyzed with respect to free radical copolymerization kinetics (reactivity ratios) and monomer partitioning. It was shown that in most emulsion copolymerizations the composition drift is mainly determined by the reactivity of the monomers and to a lesser extent by monomer partitioning, except in systems where there is a large difference in water solubility. The model predictions for cumulative terpolymer composition as a function of conversion and the three-dimensional terpolymer CCD showed excellent agreement with the experiments. The GPEC® elution chromatogram of the terpolymer was found to be in accordance with the predicted CCD and the experimentally determined CCD. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mode of termination in the copolymerization of vinyl acetate–isobutyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate–methyl acrylate at 60°C

The mode of termination in the vinyl acetate–isobutyl methacrylate (VA–IBMA) and methyl methacrylate–methyl acrylate (MMA–MA) copolymerization systems has been investigated at 60°C. by using the dye-interaction technique for functional endgroup estimation. The results show that pairs of poly(vinyl acetate) radicals interact almost exclusively through a disproportionation mechanism. In the homopolymerization of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate, about 1.16 and 1.22 carboxyl-containing endgroups per polymer molecule have been estimated, which shows the predominance of disproportionation over combination in these termination reactions. In poly(isobutyl methacrylate) about 1.55 tagged initiator fragments per chain indicate that 29% of the total radicals terminate through the disproportionation mechanism. Cross termination in the (VA–IBMA) copolymerization system occurs almost entirely through combination for monomer feeds richer in isobutyl methacrylate content while for the MMA–MA system, combination is more important at intermediate monomer feed ratios. These results have been discussed in the light of different explanations for the reaction mechanism.     

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate

Pseudo-living radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate under reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer in a mass in the presence of reversible chain transfer agents of different nature was implemented. A comparison of physical and mechanical properties of narrowly dispersed copolymers was performed as well as copolymers obtained by uncontrolled radical polymerization.     

Terpolymerization of methyl methacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate with methacrylic acid and sodium styrene sulfonate: determination of the reactivity ratios

Materials bearing ionic monomers were obtained through free radical terpolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PMEM) or poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate (PEEM) with methacrylic acid (MA) and sodium styrene sulfonate (NaSS). The reactions were carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide using azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. The reactivity ratios of the different couple of monomers were calculated according to the general copolymerization equation using the Finnemann-Ross, Kelen-Tüdos and Tidwell-Mortimer methods. The values of the reactivity ratios indicate that the different monomer units can be considered as randomly distributed along the chains for terpolymerizations of MMA, PMEM or PEEM with MA and NaSS. The average composition of the comonomers in the different terpolymers were calculated, showing a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical compositions. The instantaneous compositions are constant until about 70% of conversion. For higher conversions, the insertion of ionic monomers increases or decreases according to the system studied.     

Photoinitiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate with 14C-labeled benzoin methyl ethers

Three ¹⁴C-labeled benzoin methyl ether (α-methoxy-α-phenylacetophenone) derivatives were utilized as photoinitiators in the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA). The results of polymer end-group analysis are in accord with a mechanism of benzoin ether photocleavage into initiator radicals and dispute earlier labeling studies which were interpreted as evidence for copolymerization of excited-state benzoin ethers with reactive monomers. In MMA polymerization, the results indicate a preference for termination by disproportionation (～60%) and provide evidence for primary radical termination at 0.041M photoinitiator (optically dense solutions) in neat MMA. Evidence for chain branching by initiator radical hydrogen abstraction from poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) is also presented. The benzoyl and α-methoxybenzyl radicals, produced on photolysis of benzoin methyl ether, appear to be equally effective in both initiation and hydrogen-abstraction processes. Quantum yields at 366 and 313 nm indicate the absence of a wavelength effect.     

Copolymerizations involving methyl methacrylate,methyl acrylate,stilbene and p.fluorostilbene

Homopolymerizations and copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA) have been performed in the presence of either stilbene or p.fluorostilbene, labelled with carbon-14. It has been shown that at 60°C the polyMA radical is much more reactive than the polyMMA radical towards stilbene, the velocity constants for the reactions differing by a factor of about 300; similar results are found for p.fluorostilbene. The differences between the reactivities of the radicals are associated with steric effects arising from the presence of a methyl group at the alpha position in MMA.     

Semicontinuous emulsion copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and ethyl acrylate

The monomer addition policies required to produce homogeneous methyl methacrylateethyl acrylate copolymers of different compositions were determined by means of a semiempirical approach. This approach is useful for systems about which only a limited information is available. Applying this method only three reactions were needed to obtain homogeneous copolymers in a minimum process time. Comparisons were made between the results obtained using this monomer addition strategy and those from copolymerizations carried out under the classical starved conditions.     

Synthesis and characterization of functional gradient copolymers of allyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate

Functional spontaneous gradient copolymers of allyl methacrylate (A) and butyl acrylate (B) were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization. The copolymerization reactions were carried out in toluene solutions at 100 °C with methyl 2‐bromopropionate as the initiator and copper bromide with N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the catalyst system. Different aspects of the statistical reaction copolymerizations, such as the kinetic behavior, crosslinking density, and gel fraction, were studied. The gel data were compared with Flory's gelation theory, and the sol fractions of the synthesized copolymers were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The copolymer composition, demonstrating the gradient character of the copolymers, and the microstructure were analyzed. The experimental data agreed well with data calculated with the Mayo–Lewis terminal model and Bernoullian statistics, with monomer reactivity ratios of 2.58 ± 0.37 and 0.51 ± 0.05 for A and B, respectively, an isotacticity parameter for A of 0.24, and a coisotacticity parameter of 0.33. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5304–5315, 2006     

Photodegradation of copolymers of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate at elevated temperatures

Four methyl methacrylate—methyl acrylate copolymers with molar ratios, MMA/MA, of 112/1, 26/1, 7·7/1, and 2/1 have been photodegraded at 170°C by 2537 Å radiation. The changes which occur in the molecular weight of the copolymers are typical of a random scission process and from these and volatilization data the extent of chain scission during the course of the reaction has been calculated. The pattern of volatile products is the same as that previously obtained in the thermal reaction at 300°C although there are a number of differences in detail. For example, only one in ten of the methyl acrylate units is liberated as monomer compared with one in four in the thermal reaction and the ratio CO₂/chain scissions is considerably greater than the strict 1/1 ratio observed in the thermal reaction. Zip lengths are also very much greater in the photo reaction. These minor differences between the two reactions have been accounted for in terms of the mechanism previously presented to account for the thermal reaction, bearing in mind the differences in the temperature (170 and 300°C) at which the two investigations were carried out.