| Abstract: | A systematic study of the effect of styrene units on the thermal stability of vinylidene chloride copolymers was made. In general, the copolymers were more easily dehydrochlorinated than the homopolymer. The copolymers eliminate HCl at rates that could only be interpreted in terms of styrene group activation. However, the elimination rate fell too rapidly with reaction extent to be accounted for by concentration changes or weak links and was consistent with retardation by the reaction products. The elimination was a radical process and accompanied by chain scission and crosslinking in competition. |
