| Abstract: | 1-Methylcyclopropene (MCP) copolymerizes rapidly with acrylic and vinyl monomers to form soluble, high molecular weight products containing enchained cyclopropane rings. The high electron availability in the cyclopropene double bond promotes one-to-one alternating copolymerization with sulfur dioxide, maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, dialkyl fumarates and acrylic esters. Nonalternating copolymers are obtained with vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, and attempted copolymerization fails entirely with styrene, α-methylstyrene and isoprene. This pattern of copolymerization reactivity resembles that of highly compressed ethylene. Methylcyclopropene copolymers have high glass temperatures in spite of the small size of the MCP unit. The combination of high Tg and small size allows preparation of copolymers with high Tg having a wide range of ductilities and cohesive energy densities. |
