Peculiarities of N-vinylpyrrolidone copolymerization with vinyl acetate in the presence of tributylborane and 1,4-benzoquinone

Copolymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone with vinyl acetate in the presence of tributylborane and 1,4-benzoquinone has been investigated. The curves of copolymer composition and relative reactivity of monomers were obtained. An introduction of tributylborane in the monomer mixture leads to the formation of complex with N-vinylpyrrolidone. Molecular weight of the copolymers and the rate of the copolymerization decreases with the addition of tributylborane and 1,4-benzoquinone compare to conventional copolymerization initiated by dicyclohexyl peroxydicarbonate. The curve of the copolymer composition acquires an S-shape. Triad composition of the copolymers differs from the theoretical values. The reason for the observed pheno mena is realization of the effect of preferential solvation (bootstrap-effect).