Inhibition of polymerization of methyl methacrylate by an ortho-benzoquinone-amine system

The kinetic features of the bulk polymerization of MMA in the presence of sterically hindered ortho-benzoquinones and the tertiary amines N,N-dimethylaniline and N,N-dimethylisopropanolamine have been studied. The irradiation of solutions of quinones and amines in MMA with visible light causes inhibition of the thermal polymerization of MMA, with the effects of quinones and amines being synergistic. The effect of inhibition is enhanced as the steric shielding of carbonyl groups of ortho-benzoquinone by substituents becomes weaker. The dependence of the induction period on the redox potentials of quinones passes through a maximum. It is shown that inhibition involves oxyphenoxyl radicals arising from the interaction of the original quinone with the product of its photoreduction in the presence of amines, pyrocatechol. The inhibiting effect depends on the concentration ratio of quinone and pyrocatechol and the nature of amine. When quinone is in excess with respect to pyrocatechol, additional inhibition of polymerization is observed and the rate of quinone consumption during the induction period is increased.