Proposed Participation of Excited Monomer in the Free Radical-Catalyzed High Pressure,High Temperature Polymerization of Ethylene

The radiation-induced copolymerization of ethyl vinyl ether with dibutyl maleate was investigated over a wide range of comonomer compositions, dose rates, and in the temperature range from ?25 to 75° C. Both the rates of copolymerization and the molecular weights of the resulting copolymers were found to depend strongly on the initial comonomer composition, both reaching a maximum value at an equimolar comonomer composition. A copolymer was obtained in which the co-monomers alternate with regularity along the polymer chain over the entire range of comonomer compositions investigated. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined and found to be practically zero. The apparent activation energy was found to change at 35° C, the boiling point of the ethyl vinyl ether, from a value of 10.48 kJ/mole to a value of 18.86 kJ/mole above this temperature. This phase change also resulted in a marked decrease in the molecular weights of the copolymers formed above 35° C. The dose-rate dependence of the rate of copolymerization was found to be 0.70 over the dose-rate range     

Radiation-induced copolymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether with trichloroethylene

The radiation-induced copolymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether with trichloroethylene was investigated in the temperature range from ?50°C to 100°C over a wide range of comonomer compositions. A copolymer was obtained in which the monomers alternate with regularity along the polymer chain over essentially the entire range of comonomer compositions. Both the rate of copolymerization and the number-average molecular weight of the resulting copolymer were found to depend strongly on the initial comonomer composition. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined and correspond well with calculated values. An apparent activation energy of 3.2 kcal/mole was obtained for the copolymerization process which exhibits a dose rate dependence of 0.72. The number-average molecular weight was found to be strongly dependent on the irradiation temperature, reaching a maximum value at 5°C.     

Calorimetric investigation of polymerization reactions. II. Copolymerization of diethyl fumarate with styrene

The bulk copolymerization of diethyl fumarate with styrene initiated by benzoyl peroxide or azobisisobutyronitrile was investigated with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) operated isothermally. The heat of copolymerization decreased almost linearly with the increase in diethyl fumarate content in the copolymer. The heat of homopolymerization for diethyl fumarate was equal to 15.5 ± 0.3 kcal/mole. Monomer reactivity ratios at 100°C were also determined. The rate of copolymerization was followed over the whole range of conversion. A gel effect was noticed in copolymerizations at lower but not at higher temperatures. The initial rate of copolymerization exhibited a maximum at an intermediate monomer feed composition, differing from the previously reported tendency. The difference was found to be due to the method used for determining the rate of copolymerization, and the superiority of the DSC method was proved. The mechanism of the radical-radical termination process was discussed. From the viewpoint of chemically controlled termination, the cross-termination factor ? was estimated to be 2.0, which is reasonable considering the steric hindrance; assumption of the predominance of a diffusion-controlled termination reaction was also consistent with the results.     

Cationic Polymerization of Isobutyl Vinyl Ether in Solution by Radiation

The radiation-induced cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether in solutions of diethyl ether and methylene chloride was investigated under conditions where the monomer and solvents were dried with molecular sieves to high levels of dryness. The investigation covered the temperature range from -16 to 90° C, the dose-rate range from 10¹⁵ to 10²⁰ eV/ (g)(sec) (using both gamma rays and electrons), and the influence of diethyl ether and methylene chloride as solvents for the monomer.

For the solution of the monomer in diethyl ether, a very high overall activation energy of 29.7 kcal/mole was found, which decreased sharply to a value of 1.2 kcal/mole above 30° C. No such change was found for the monomer solution in methylene chloride.

The dose-rate dependence of the rate of polymerization for the monomer solution in methylene chloride was found to be close to unity over the entire dose-rate range investigated.     

Copolymerization of ethylene and 1-butene using a Cr—silica catalyst in a slurry reactor

A novel slurry reactor was used to investigate the copolymerization behavior of ethylene and 1-butene in the presence of 1 wt % Cr on Davison silica (Phillips-type) catalyst over the temperature range of 0–50°C, space velocity of about 0.0051 [m³ (STP)]/(g of catalyst) h, and a fixed ethylene to 1-butene feed mole ratio of 95 : 5. The effect of varying the ethylene to 1-butene feed ratios, 100 : 0, 96.5 : 3.5, 95 : 5, 93 : 7, 90 : 10, 80 : 20, and 0 : 100 mol/mol at 50°C was also studied. The addition of 1-butene to ethylene typically increased both copolymerization rates and yields relative to ethylene homopolymerization with the same catalyst, reaching a maximum yield for an ethylene: 1-butene feed ratio of 95 : 5 at 50°C. The incorporation of 1-butene within the copolymer in all cases was less than 5 mol %. The average activation energy for the apparent reaction rate constant, k_a, based on total comonomer mole fraction in the slurry liquid for the ethylene to 1-butene feed mole ratio of 95 : 5 in the temperature range of 50–30°C measured 54.2 kJ/mol. The behavior for temperatures between 30 to 0°C differed with an activation energy of 98.2 kJ/mol; thus, some diffusion limitation likely influences the copolymerization rates at temperatures above 30°C. A kinetics analysis of the experimental data at 50°C for different ethylene to 1-butene feed ratios gave the values of the reactivity ratios, r₁ = 27.3 ± 3.6 and r₂ ≅ 0, for ethylene and 1-butene, respectively. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetic study of dissolution of poly(vinyl chloride) in cyclohexanone

The kinetics of dissolution of five fractions of commercial poly(vinyl chloride) in cyclohexanone was studied at temperatures from 20 to 70°C. Good agreement was observed between the experimental results and equations expressing the dependence of the induction periods and the rates of dissolution on temperature and molecular weight. It was found that the apparent activation energy for the swelling process lies in the range 9–14 kcal/mole and the apparent activation energy for the dissolution diffusion process in the range 8–12 kcal/mole. The apparent dependence of activation energies on number-average molecular weight indicates that the chain ends are more important in determining the dissolution rate than the centers of the polymer chains.     

Copolymerization of Vinyl Chloride and Sulfur Dioxide. II. Copolymerization Rates and Copolymer Compositions

The rate of copolymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) with sulfur dioxide and the composition of the poly (vinyl chloride sulfone) formed have been measured for comonomer liquid mixtures with X_VC = 0.1 to 1.0 and over the temperature range -95 to +46°C.

Polymerization was initiated by γ-irradiation (-95 to +46°C) and with the t-butyl hydroperoxide/SO₂/methanol redox system (-95 to -18°C). The copolymerization rates and copolymer compositions indicated two distinct temperature regions, with a change in mechanism around 0°C. For radiation initiation below 0°C, the rate versus comonomer composition relationship showed a maximum at an x_VC value which increased with increasing temperature. Above 0°C, the rate decreased with increasing temperature and was greatly retarded by SO₂. No high molecular weight copolymer or VC homopolymer was formed on irradiation of comonomer mixtures above ～55°C.     

Radiation-induced ionic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether in bulk

The radiation-induced ionic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether was investigated under conditions where the monomer was dried with molecular sieves. The investigation covered the temperature range from ?16°C to 90°C, and the dose-rate range from 10¹⁵ to 10²⁰ eV/g-sec, using both γ-rays and electrons. A very high overall activation energy of 15.9 kcal/mole was found for the process below 30°C. Above 30°C, however, the value of the overall activation energy dropped to 4.9 kcal/mole, a phenomenon which is ascribed to the solvation of the propagating carbonium ion below 30°C. The dose-rate dependence of the rate of polymerization was found to be 0.58 over the entire dose-rate range investigated. The molecular weight of the polymer was found to be far less sensitive to trace amounts of water than the rate of polymerization. The molecular weight of the polymer depended strongly on the irradiation temperature, reaching a maximum value of about 120,000 at 35°C. It is shown that at temperatures above 20°C regenerative chain transfer processes play an important role in determining the molecular weight of the polymer.     

Radiation copolymerization of vinylene carbonate with isobutyl vinyl ether

The radiation-induced copolymerization of vinylene carbonate (M₁) with isobutyl vinyl ether (M₂) has been investigated over the temperature range of 40–80°C. The monomer reactivity ratios r₁ and r₂ were determined to be 0.118 and 0.148, respectively, and an activation energy of 7.6 kcal/mole (31.8 kJ/mole) was calculated for the copolymerization process.     

Trimethylenemethane: Activation energy for ring-closure of the diradical

The energy of activation for ring-closure of ground state triplet trimethylenemethane (I) to methylenecyclopropane has been measured by following the rate of dissappearance of the electron spin resonance spectrum over the temperature range –155° to –140°, in a series of frozen solid matrices. The experiments described make use of 3-methylenecyclobutanone and methylenecyclopropane as precursors to trimethylene-methane.Kinetic results obtained starting from methylenecyclopropane were most satisfactory and lead to an energy of activation for ring-closure of 7 kcal/mole. This value is significantly smaller than the aprpox. 20 kcal/mole barrier estimated on the basis of theoretical models. Truncation of the barrier by a tunnelling mechanism is made unlikely by the finding that trimethylenemethane-d₆(I-d₆) undergoes ring-closure with the same 7 kcal/mole energy of activation as the parent I.     

Radiation-induced emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene. VI. Effects of pressure and temperature

In a radiation-induced emulsion copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with propylene, the effects of pressure and temperature were investigated in the range of 0–40 kg/cm² and 7–53°C at emulsifier concentration of 0.5 and 2.0%. Both the polymerization rate and the molecular weight of copolymer increase with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. These facts are mainly due to an increase of the monomer concentration in the polymer particles. The rate of polymer chain formation was found to be independent of pressure and temperature. The initiation reaction is due mainly to the entry of radicals generated in the aqueous phase into the polymer particles. The apparent activation energy is ?2.0 to ?3.8 kcal/mole for the polymerization in the presence of 0.5% emulsifier, but is nearly zero at an emulsifier concentration of 2.0%. This difference in apparent activation energies at emulsifier concentrations of 0.5 and 2.0% is explained in terms of the termination mechanisms.     

Secondary processes of poly(methyl methacrylate) and their activation energies as determined by shear and tensile creep compliance measurements

The results of measurement of the shear and tensile creep compliance of poly(methyl methacrylate) between ?150 and 75°C. are presented. The master curves show the creep behavior from essentially elastic response to the onset of the α-process. The logarithmic retardation spectra and shear loss compliance reveal two molecular processes, one process being partially obscured by the α-process and therefore not as well defined as the other. These processes manifest themselves as breaks in an Arrhenius plot of the shift factors at about ?35 and +25°C. The activation energies in the ?35 to 25°C. and 25 to 80°C. ranges are 17.8 kcal./mole and 42.2 kcal./mole, respectively. The former temperature range and activation energy corresponds to the well-known ß-process in poly(methyl methacrylate), the latter to a process which is apparently detectable using various long-time experimental techniques but whose molecular interpretation is at present obscure. The activation energy in the ?150 to ?35°C. range is about 8.7 kcal./mole.     

Copolymerization of Vinyl Chloride and Sulfur Dioxide. III. Evaluation of the Copolymerization Mechanism

The mechanism of copolymerization of vinyl chloride (V) with sulfur dioxide (S) to form a variable composition polysulfone with average V:S molar ratio n ≥ 1 is examined. The copolymerization deviates from Lewis-Mayo behavior above -78°C. Alternative models for propagation involving (1) penultimate and pen-penultimate unit effects, (2) complex participation, and (3) depropagation are considered quantitatively by comparison of calculated and experimental copolymer/comonomer composition relationships and comonomer sequence distributions. Our theoretical modeling of the copolymerization shows that it is difficult to discriminate convincingly between alternative mechanisms. The penultimate and pen-penultimate effect models can account for the copolymer compositions, but not for the dilution effects which were observed provided the diluent is truly inert. The complex participation model can account for experimental behavior from -78 to -18°C by the assumption of addition of SV complexes, but it becomes rapidly less satisfactory at higher temperatures. Depropagation is the only model which can account for the compositions and dilution effects above 0°C. Progressive depropagation, with increasing temperature, of chains ending in the triad sequences ～SVS?, ～VVS?, and ～VSV? can explain the observed behavior over the entire comonomer composition and temperature range, but involvement of comonomer complexes in the propagation reactions is highly likely below 0°C.     

Radiation-induced solid-state polymerization of derivatives of methacrylic acid. II. Postirradiation polymerization of octadecyl methacrylate

Octadecyl methacrylate (mpc ≈ 12°C.) polymerized readily in the solid state in the temperature range ?30 to +12°C. after gamma irradiation at ?196°C. The initial rate of polymerization and the “limiting” conversion increased with radiation dose and temperature. The temperature dependence of the rate corresponded to an “apparent” activation energy of 20 kcal./mole. Difficulties were experienced with polymerization during separation of the polymer from residual monomer, but these were minimized by using low radiation doses and a hot, selective solvent. The maximum conversion achieved was 70%. The polymer was crosslinked, even at low conversions.     

Polymerization of Acrylonitrile Initiated by 1,4-Dimethyl-1,4-bis(p-nitrophenyl)-2-tetrazene

The polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) initiated by 1,4-dimethyl-1,4-bis(p-nitrophenyl)-2-tetrazene (Ie) was studied in dimethylformamide (DMF) at high temperature. The polymerization proceeds by a radical mechanism. The rate of polymerization is proportional to [Ie]^0.64 and [AN]^1.36. The overall activation energy for the polymerization is 21.5 kcal/mole within the temperature range of 115-130°C. The chain transfer of Ie was also undertaken over the temperature range of 120-135°C. The activation parameters for the decomposition of Ie at 120°C are k_d = 2.78 × 10^?6 sec^?1, ΔH^? = 40.8 kcal/mole, and ΔS^? = 19.5 cal/mole-deg, respectively.     

Oxygen-diffusion characteristics of loosely-sintered polycrystalline MgO

Self-diffusion coefficients of oxygen in well-sintered and in loosely-sintered polycrystalline MgO have been measured at an ambient oxygen pressure of about 35 mm Hg over the temperature range 1020–1450°C. The oxygen diffusion coefficient as a function of temperature of the former specimen is expressed by a single Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 55.8 kcal/mole, while that of the latter is composed of two intersecting lines (E = 60.2 kcal/mole from 1020–1250°C; E = 102.8 kcal/mole from 1250–1450°C). The diffusivity for single-crystal grain of the well-sintered polycrystals is two orders of magnitude larger than that in the low-temperature portion of the loosely-sintered one. This fact is interpreted in terms of an insufficient dissolution of monovalent cation impurities into the loosely-sintered crystal lattice. Two ways of interpretation are given for the presence of the high-temperature portion characteristic of the loosely-sintered polycrystal.     

The kinetics of silica reduction in hydrogen

The kinetics of the reduction of SiO₂ in hydrogen have been examined using a thermalgravimetric method. The mechanism of the reaction SiO₂ + H₂ = SiO + H₂O can be described on the basis of a reaction interface moving at a constant velocity toward the center of the reacting sample. The velocity of the moving interface depends on the reaction temperature and water vapor content of the ambient gas. The reaction was studied in the temperature range 1115–1630°C and was found to be isokinetic in this range. The activation energy for the reaction is 85 kcal/mole in pure, dry hydrogen and 135 kcal/mole in hydrogen with a dew point of 24°C.     

EPR Study of the Kinetics of the Formation of Radicals from Dibenzoyl Peroxide on Porous Glass

The kinetics of the formation of radicals from dibenzoyl peroxide supported on porous glass have been determined with EPR techniques over the temperature range of 25-100°C. Values of the activation energy of 18.5 and 25 kcal/mole have been observed for two differently prepared porous glass support materials.     

Thermal degradation of a highly chlorinated paraffin used as a fire retardant additive for polymers

The thermal degradation of a highly chlorinated paraffin, (Cl 70% w/w)(CP), used as a fire retardant additive for polymers, has been studied by TG, DTA and TVA. The main volatile degradation product is HCl which is eliminated in two steps. To 60–70% dehydrochlorination an apparent zero order reaction occurs with a detectable rate from 250°C, probably initiated at labile chlorine atoms. The apparent activation energy of the process is 40 kcal/mole. A charred residue containing 35% chlorine is obtained. This residue undergoes nearly complete dehydrochlorination in the range 300–600°C.     

Investigations on the kinetics of copolymerization of vinyl acetate with acrylonitrile by Co(acac)3–Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system

Vinyl acetate and acrylonitrile were copolymerized with Co(acac)₃-Al(C₂H₅)₃ catalyst system in benzene at 40°C. The rate of copolymerization is linearly proportional to monomer concentration and catalyst concentrations up to a certain value. The overall activation energy was found to be 11.3 kcal/mole. The effect of hydroquinone on the rate of copolymerization indicates the presence of free radicals in this system. The possibility of simultaneous formation of coordinate anionic and free radical active sites has been proposed.