Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XXVII. Copolymerization of diallyl tartrate with several vinyl monomers

The radical copolymerization of diallyl tartrate (DATa) (M₁) with diallyl succinate (DASu), diallyl phthalate (DAP), allyl benzoate (ABz), vinyl acetate (VAc), or styrene (St) was investigated in order to disclose in more detail the characteristic hydroxyl group's effect observed in the homopolymerization of DATa. In the copolymerization with DASu or DAP as a typical diallyldicarboxylate, the dependence of the rate of copolymerization on monomer composition was different for different copolymerization systems and unusual values larger than unity for the product of monomer reactivity ratios, r₁r₂, were obtained. In the copolymerization with ABz or VAc (M₂), the r₁ and r₂ values were estimated to be 1.50 and 0.64 for the DATa/ABz system and 0.76 and 2.34 for the DATa/VAc system, respectively; the product r₁r₂ for the latter copolymerization system was found again to be larger than unity. In the copolymerization with St, the largest effect due to DATa monomer of high polarity was observed. Solvent effects were tentatively examined to improve the copolymerizability of DATa. These results are discussed in terms of hydrogen-bonding ability of DATa.     

Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. VII. Kinetics of the polymerization of diallyl esters of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids

Radical polymerization studies on diallyl oxalate (DAO), diallyl malonate (DAM), diallyl succinate (DASu), diallyl adipate (DAA), and diallyl sebacate (DAS) have been conducted kinetically from the standpoint of cyclopolymerization. Benzoyl peroxide was employed as the initiator. The initial overall rate of polymerization, R_p was not proportional to the square root or the first power of the initiator concentration, [I]. But R_p/[I]^1/2 and [I]^1/2 bore a linear relationship, provided the monomer concentration was kept constant. The residual unsaturation of the polymers decreased with decreasing monomer concentration. The ratio of the rate constant of the unimolecular cyclization reaction to that of the bimolecular propagation reaction of the uncyclized radical, K_c, was evaluated from the above relationship between the residual unsaturation and the monomer concentration at 60°C. The K_c values obtained were 3.6, 3.2, 2.8, 2.5, and 1.2 mole/l. for DAO, DAM, DASu, DAA, and DAS, respectively. The overall activation energies of polymerization were found to be 21.1 (DAO), 24.2 (DAM), 21.7 (DASu), 22.0 (DAA), and 22.2 (DAS) kcal/mole.     

Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XXIV. Effect of temperature on the polymerization of diallyl phthalate

The effect of temperature on the polymerization of diallyl phthalate was investigated in the temperature range of 80–150°C. The degree of polymerization increased slightly with temperature up to 100°C and then decreased; together with the results of primary chain length and the dependence of R_p on initiator concentration, these findings were interpreted in terms of the enhancement of the reinitiation ability of the allylic radical produced by the intramolecular chain-transfer reaction and of the reactivity of the cyclized radical at elevated temperature. The tendency for cyclization became more marked with increasing temperature. The gel point was almost unaffected.     

Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XXV. Gel point in the polymerization of diallyl esters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids

Studies on gelation in the radical polymerization of diallyl dicarboxylates have been conducted by Simpson,^9,11 Gordon,¹⁰ and Oiwa.¹³ However, the results obtained have not always been consistent and are still far from full elucidations. In this paper, the gel point in the polymerization of diallyl aromatic dicarboxylates, including diallyl phthalate (DAP), diallyl isophthalate (DAI), and diallyl terephthalate (DAT) is experimentally reexamined in detail and discussed according to Gordon's theory; the discrepancy between actual and theoretical gel point conversion was quite large and was enhanced in the order DAT > DAI > DAP. Moreover, from detailed inquiry into the primary chain length of the prepolymer it is suggested that the intramolecular chain transfer reaction plays an important role in the polymerization of diallyl ester accompanying the intramolecular cyclization reaction. The polydispersity coefficient (P _w,0/P _n,0) of the initial prepolymer of DAP is also estimated to be 2.0 from the extrapolation of P _w/P _n to zero conversion.     

Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XI. Polymerization of styrene in the presence of diallyl compounds

Radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of various diallyl compounds was carried out at 60°C, with the use of 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The chain transfer constant C_s of the styryl radical to diallyl compounds was determined graphically by solving the Mayo equation. The C_s values of diallyl esters are quite small compared to those of diallyl acetals. The polymerization mechanism of styrene in the presence of diallyl compounds was also discussed in connection with the results obtained previously.     

Effect of thiourea on the radical polymerization of vinyl monomers. Part III. Effect of diphenyl thiourea on the polymerization of methyl methacrylate with various organic peroxides as initiator

The effect of diphenyl thiourea (DPTU) on the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been studied in benzene solution at 50°C. with the use of cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), p-menthane hydroperoxide (PMHP), tert-butyl perbenzoate (tBPBz), di-tert-butyl peroxide (DBP), and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as initiators. In the CHP-initiated polymerization, the rate of polymerization increased appreciably on addition of DPTU with a linear dependence on the square root of DPTU concentration up to a maximum which was observed when the ratio of the concentration of CHP to DPTU was 2.5. Then the rate decreased gradually with increasing DPTU concentration in the range greater than the above ratio. It was found from kinetic studied that the overall polymerization rate R_p was expressed by the equation: R_p = K[peroxide]^1/2 [DPTU]^1/2[MMA], where K is the rate constant, α = 1.2 for CHP and α = 1.0 for tBPBz. It was thought that the acceleration effect observed was due to a redox reaction caused by the interaction of a peroxide–monomer and/or a peroxide–solvent complex with DPTU, and the decrease in the polymerization rate which was observed over a certain concentration of DPTU was due to the action of the oxidized product of DPTU as a transfer agent. The effect of substituents was studied by using para and meta-substituted DPTU. It was found that the polymerization rate increased as electron-donating substituents are added to the benzene ring of DPTU with considerable dependence on Hammett's equation (p = ?0.36). The acceleration effect is also observed for PMPH-and tBPBz-initiated polymerizations, whereas the DCP- and DBP-initiated systems show no effects on the polymerization rate.     

Cyclic acetal-photosensitized polymerization. II. Photopolymerization of styrene in the presence of various monocyclic acetals

The polymerization of styrene (St) in benzene solution in the presence of 1,3-dioxane (DON), 1,3-dioxepane (DOP), trioxane (TRON), or tetraoxane (TEON) by means of photoirradiation of the system at 40°C has been studied kinetically from the standpoint of photosensitized polymerization. The rate of photosensitized polymerization R_p increased in the order: DOP < DON < TRON < TEON, as shown by the rate constant of decomposition of cyclic acetals, and then could be expressed by R_p = k[monocyclic acetal]^0.5[St]^1.0. The polymerization was confirmed to proceed via a radical mechanism.     

Synthesis of polymers by template polymerization. I. Template polymerization of poly(methacrylic acid) with β‐cyclodextrin

A novel template monomer with multiple methacryloyl groups was synthesized with β‐cyclodextrin by the acetylation of primary hydroxyl groups and the esterification of secondary hydroxyl groups with methacrylic acid anhydride. The average number of methacryloyl groups in the monomer was 11. The radical polymerization of the monomer was carried out with the following initiators: α,α′‐azobisisobutylonitrile, H₂O₂? Fe²⁺ redox initiator, p‐xylyl‐N,N‐dimethyldithiocarbamate (XDC), and α‐bromo‐p‐xylyl‐N,N‐dimethyldithiocarbamate (BXDC). When the concentration of the monomer was less than 4.12 × 10^?3 M, polymerization was limited inside the molecule, and gelation of the system was hindered. For controlled radical photopolymerization with XDC and BXDC, the methacryloyl groups of the monomer were homogeneously polymerized, and poly(methacrylic acid) with a narrow molecular weight distribution was obtained by the hydrolysis of the polymerized products. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3539–3546, 2001     

Equilibrated radical polymerization of acrylic propionic anhydride as a mono-ene counterpart of acrylic anhydride

Radical polymerization of acrylic propionic anhydride (APA) as a mono-ene counterpart of acrylic anhydride (AA) was investigated in order to obtain supporting evidence for a previously proposed mechanism based on polymerization equilibrium for the cyclopolymerization of AA. The deviation from first-order dependence of the rate of polymerization R_p on monomer concentration was enhanced by a decrease in monomer concentration. The Arrhenius plot of lnR_p vs. 1/T was clearly curved in a highly dilute system. These results suggest increased significance of the depropagation reaction equilibrated with propagation under polymerization conditions favorable to five-membered ring formation in cyclopolymerization of AA. Under these conditions, the disproportionation reaction of APA became important and the liberated AA was incorporated into the polymer chain through copolymerization with APA, resulting in poly(APA-co-AA) having five-membered anhydride units.     

Photoinitiated,inverse emulsion polymerization of acrylamide: Some mechanistic and kinetic aspects

The kinetics of photoinitiated, inverse emulsion polymerization of acrylamide with 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DMPA) as a photoinitiator was investigated under three different cases. First, in a quartz reactor transparent to full UV light, the polymerization rate (R_p) increased and then decreased with the change of initiator order from 0.27 to a negative value when the DMPA concentration was increased, and it was particularly unusual that monomer orders at different DMPA concentrations were lower than the first. Second, for polymerization without DMPA in a quartz reactor, the dependence of R_p on monomer concentration was similar to that of R_p on initiator concentration in the aforementioned case. Third, when polymerization was carried out in a Pyrex reactor where the far UV light was filtered, a peak rate was also observed, and initiator orders varied from 0.24 to a negative value; however, under this case monomer orders at different initiator concentrations were greater than the first. These results indicated that the effect of absorbance often observed in bulk or solution photopolymerization also existed in this system, and the self‐initiation of monomer had some influence on polymerization, and the role of primary radical termination could not be neglected, as evidenced by kinetic analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 846–852, 2004     

Metal chelates in vinyl polymerization: Kinetics and mechanism of acrylonitrile polymerization initiated by Cu(II) imine complexes

The free radical polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) initiated by Cu(II) 4-anilino 2-one [Cu(II) ANIPO] Cu(II), 4-p-toluedeno 3-pentene 2-one [Cu(II) TPO], and Cu(II) 4-p-nitroanilino 3-pentene 2-one [Cu(II) NAPO] was studied in benzene at 50 and 60°C and in carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and methanol (MeOH) at 60°C. Although the polymerization proceeded in a heterogeneous phase, it followed the kinetics of a homogeneous process. The monomer exponents were ≥2 at two different temperatures and in different solvents. The square-root dependence of R_p on initiator concentration and higher monomer exponents accounted for a 1:2 complex formation between the chelate and monomer. The complex formation was shown by ultraviolet (UV) study. The activation energies, kinetics, and chain transfer constants were also evaluated.     

Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XLI. Discussion of substantially identical gel points among three isomeric diallyl phthalates

In the bulk polymerization of three isomeric diallyl phthalates, diallyl phthalate (DAP), diallyl isophthalate, and diallyl terephthalate (DAT), no difference in the actual gel point was substantially observed. This interesting gelation behavior is discussed in terms of the correlation between gelation and the difference in cyclization modes, and the difference in reactivity between the uncyclized and cyclized radicals for crosslinking; the nonconsecutive addition in DAT polymerization led to a delayed gelation and the cyclized radical in DAP polymerization showed an enhanced reactivity for crosslinking.     

Studies on the polymerization of methyl methacrylate activated by azobisisobutyramidine

Kinetic studies on methyl methacrylate polymerization were carried out with watersoluble 2,2′-azobisisobutyramidine (ABA). The rate of polymerization was proportional to the square root of the initiator concentration in the solvents chloroform, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which confirms the bimolecular nature of the termination reaction. The monomer exponent was unity in chloroform but in methanol and DMSO the rate of polymerization passed through a maximum when plotted against the monmer concentration. This behavior in methanol has been attributed to be due to the enhanced rate of production of radical with increasing proportion of methanol. The rate of decomposition of the ABA has been observed to be faster in methanol than in chloroform. The situation becomes more complicated with DMSO, which was found to reduce the value of δ = (2k_t)^1/2/k_p in methyl methacrylate polymerization. The rate of polymerization was observed to be highly dependent on the nature of the solvent, the rate increasing with increased electrophilicity of the solvent. The dependence of R_p on the solvent has been explained in the light of the stabilization of the transition state due to increased solvation of the basic amidine group of the initiator with the increased electrophilicity of the solvent.     

Effect of solution components on the termination mechanism in acrylamide microemulsion polymerizations

A study of the effect of the various solution components on the kinetics of the polymerization of acrylamide in water/oil (w/o) microemulsions has been performed. For the polymerizations with toluene as the continuous phase, both the rate of polymerization, R_p, and the molecular weight of the polyacrylamide were found to be first order in monomer concentration. Furthermore, for the low temperatures (10°C) involved in these experiments, nondegradative chain transfer to monomer appears to be insignificant. When the continuous-phase solvent was changed, an exponential dependence, X, of R_p on the incident light intensity in the order of toluene (X = 1.06) > heptane (X = 0.73) > benzene (X = 0.55) was found. Thus, the monoradical termination found in the toluene microemulsions is likely due to degradative transfer to toluene, forming a stable benzyl radical, while polymerization in benzene (no labile hydrogen atoms) leads to biradical termination     

Metal-Containing Initiator Systems. 30. Vinyl Polymerization Initiated with Bis(ethyl acetoacetato)copper(II) and Maleimide

Some electron-accepting compounds such as maleimide (MIm), maleic anhydride (MAn), and tetracyanoquinodimethane were found to show pronounced accelerating effects on vinyl polymerization initiated with metal chelates. The polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) initiated with bis(ethyl acetoacetato)-copper(II) (Cu(eacac)₂) and MIm was studied kinetically in benzene. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was calculated to be 11.5 kcal/mol. This value was much lower than that (17.6 kcal/mol) for the polymerization of MMA with Cu(eacac)₂ alone. The polymerization rate (R_p) was expressed as R_p =k[MIm]^1/2 [Cu(eacac)₂]^1/2 [MMA] The first-order dependence of R_p on the monomer concentration indicated that the monomer had no participation in the initiation step, in contrast with polymerization in the absence of MIm (where a monomer concentration dependence of 1.4th order was observed). Electronic spectroscopic study revealed that a complex between MIm and Cu(eacac)₂ had been formed. The ligand radical, an acetylcarboethoxymethyl radical, was trapped by 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane in the reactions of Cu(eacac)₂ with MIm and with MAn in benzene. From these results the mechanism of the initiation of polymerization is discussed.     

Radiation-induced polymerization at high dose rate. IV. Chloroprene in bulk

Bulk polymerization of chloroprene was studied at 25°C in a wide does rate range. Variations of the rate of polymerization (R_p) and molecular weight as a function of does rate were essentially the same as those in several monomers that are capab;e of radical and cationic polymerizations. The polymerization proceeds with radical mechanism at low dose rate ans with radical and cationic mechanism concurrently at high dose rate. The number-average molecular weight of the high-dose-rate was ca. 2400. Microstructure of the polymers was mainly of trans-1,4 unit with small fraction of cis-1,4 and 3,4-vinyl unit. Fractions of the vinyl unit and the inverted unit in trans-1,4 sequence which increased at high does rate inflected the change of dominant mechanism of polymerization.     

Vinyl polymerization initiated by peroxydiphosphate

The kinetics of the aqueous polymerization of acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate initiated by the peroxydiphosphate-thioglycollic acid redox system was investigated at 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 °C. The rates of polymerization were measured at different concentrations of oxidant, activator and monomer. From the results, it was concluded that the polymerization reaction is initiated by an organic free radical arising from the peroxydiphosphate-thioglycollic acid system and termination by mutual type. On the basis of experimental observations of the dependence of the rate of polymerization,R _p on various variables, a suitable kinetic scheme has been proposed.     

Stereocontrol in radical polymerization of acrylic monomers

A clear effect of Lewis acids, such. as scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)₃], on stereocontrol during the radical polymerization of a designed monomer, benzyl α-(methoxymethyl)acrylate was found. This Lewis acid also influenced the stereochemistry in the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate giving a less syndiotactic and more isotactic polymer, although many Lewis acids were not effective. A catalytic amount of Lewis acids, such as Y(OTf)₃ and Yb(OTf)₃, also significantly enhanced isotactic-specificity during the radical polymerization of acrylamide and its derivatives, N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide. Obvious solvent and temperature effects on tacticity were observed in these polymerizations, and poly(NIPAM) with >80% triad isotactic content has been obtained in the presence of Lewis acids.     

Polymerization of diallyl phthalate in solution by γ-radiation

The polymerization of diallyl phthalate has been studied in two solvents, benzene (G_Radical = 0.7) and chloroform (G_R = 11.2), γ-radiation being used to investigate the effect of the solvent on the rates of polymerization and also chain transfer to the solvent. Kinetic analysis shows that in benzene solution the initiating species come almost exclusively from the monomer, but in chloroform they arise only from the solvent. The latter was further confirmed from the chlorine analysis of the polymer wherein chloroform appears to have telomerized with diallyl phthalate. In neither of the solvents was high molecular weight polymer obtained. The k_p/k_t^1/2 for the polymerization of DAP was found to be 3.3 × 10^?4 and 1.17 × 10^?3 in benzene and chloroform solutions, respectively. The chain-transfer constant C_S was 11.25 × 10^?3 and 9.75 × 10^?3 for benzene and chloroform, respectively.     

Living carbocationic polymerization. IV. Living polymerization of isobutylene

Truly living polymerization of isobutylene (IB) has been achieved for the first time by the use of new initiating systems comprising organic acetate-BCl₃ complexes under conventional laboratory conditions in various solvents from ?10 to ?50°C. The overall rates of polymerization are very high, which necessitated the development of the incremental monomer addition (IMA) technique to demonstrate living systems. The living nature of the polymerizations was demonstrated by linear M _n versus grams polyisobutylene (PIB) formed plots starting at the origin and horizontal number of polymer molecules formed versus amount of polymer formed plots. DP _n obeys [IB]/[CH₃COOR^t · BCl₃]. Molecular weight distributions (MWD) are very narrow in homogeneous systems (M _w/M _n = 1.2–1.3) whereas somewhat broader values are obtained when the polymer precipitates out of solution (M _w/M _n = 1.4–3.0). The MWDs tend to narrow with increasing molecular weights, i.e., with the accumulation of precipitated polymer in the reactor. Traces of moisture do not affect the outcome of living polymerizations. In the presence of monomer both first and second order chain transfer to monomer are avoided even at ?10°C. The diagnosis of first and second order chain transfer has been accomplished, and the first order process seems to dominate. Forced termination can be effected either by thermally decomposing the propagating complexes or by nucleophiles. In either case the end groups will be tertiary chlorides. The living polymerization of isobutylene initiated by ester. BCl₃ complexes most likely proceeds by a two-component group transfer polymerization.