Studies on propagating species in cationic polymerization of styrene derivatives by acetyl perchlorate or iodine. II. Salt effect on the relative reactivity in the cationic copolymerization of styrene derivatives with 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether initiated by iodine

To determine the effect of the dissociation of propagating species on the relative reactivity of monomers, 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether was copolymerized with p-methoxystyrene or with p-methylstyrene by using iodine in various solvents at 0°C. A common-ion salt (tetra-n-butylammonium iodide or tetra-n-butylammonium triiodide) was added to these copolymerization systems in a polar solvent to depress the dissociation of the propagating species. The addition of a common-ion salt increased the vinyl ether content in the copolymer. The more the dissociation of propagating species was depressed, the more the vinyl ether content in the copolymer increased. This effect of common-ion salt was in agreement with that of decreasing solvent polarity which yielded vinyl ether-rich copolymer as well. Therefore, the change of the monomer reactivity ratio by the solvent polarity, which used to be explained in terms of a selective solvation, must be reconsidered from the viewpoint of varying degrees of the dissociation of propagating species.