Etude cinetique de la copolymerisation alternee de l'indene et du methacrylate de methyle en presence de sesquichlorure d'ethylaluminium

The copolymerization of indene with methyl methacrylate (MAM) initiated by u.v. irradiation, in the presence of ethylaluminium sesquichloride (SCEA) as a complexing agent, yields alternating copolymers when Indene] ≥ MAM] ≥ SCEA]. Values of $\text{M}$_n of the copolymers range from 32,000 to 900,000, depending on the concentrations of the reagents, reaction temperature and intensity of u.v. light. The kinetics can be explained simply by assuming a statistical copolymerization of indene with a MAM-SCEA binary complex, but intervention of a ternary complex SCEA-MAM-indene cannot be discarded. At high MAM concentrations, the free MAM becomes involved in the copolymerization.