Pulse radiolysis of vinyl monomers, in the pure state and with added pyrene

Pulse radiolysis studies have been used to investigate the early phenomena in the radiolysis of acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, butyl vinyl ether, propionic acid, methyl acetate and butyl ether; the latter three solvents were used as model compounds for these vinyl monomers. The triplet state, radical cation, radical anion, and free radical of pyrene (cyclohexadienyl type) were observed to various degrees in the radiolysis of pyrene in these monomers. In acrylic acid, where the free radical and the cation dominate, the monomer polymerizes efficiently, whereas in butyl vinyl ether, where the anion dominates, polymerization does not occur. The behavior of methyl acrylate lies between that of acrylic acid and butyl vinyl ether. However, the high intensity of the electron pulses creates a high concentration of radicals leading to a short lifetime of the radical which in turn leads to a much smaller yield of polymerization. The mechanism of polymerization under high energy radiation is found to be free radical in nature.