Determination of rate constants for radical telomerization chain growth and transfer from the molecular-mass distribution of oligomer

The ratio of rate constant for growth and transfer X(n), as a function of the chain length n has been found from the measured molecular-mass distributions of the products of tetrafluoroethylene telomerization in acetone, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. For all these telogens, the function increases by a factor of 1.5–2.5 in the range of n from 2 to 5, is almost constant for n of 6 to 10, and increases by a factor of 7–10 in the range of n from 12 to 20. This behavior of the function X(n) has been explained in terms of the model of diffusion-controlled propagation and kinetic chain transfer. The model takes into account the change in the diffusion nature of oligomers in the form of rigid rods with an increase in their length. A sharp increase in X(n) occurs when the oligomers that accumulate in the environment of growing macroradical sterically restrict the withdrawal of the forming oligomer to the bulk by an effective solid angle, which decreases with the increasing oligomer length and becomes minimal in the region of formation of colloidal particles.