Preparation and degradation of copolymers of methyl methacrylate with alkali metal methacrylates—I. Copolymerization parameters for the systems methyl methacrylate-lithium methacrylate,methyl methacrylate-sodium methacrylate and methyl methacrylate-potassium methacrylate

Copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate with the Li, Na and K salts of methacrylic acid have been studied in methanol solution at 60°. Reactivity ratios have been calculated by the methods due to Mayo and Lewis, Fineman and Ross and Peckham. The rate of copolymerization decreases as the size of the metal cation increases, in contrast to the behaviour in the homopolymerization of the alkali metal methacrylates. The systems have the following reactivity ratios (MMA as monomer-1): Li salt r₁ = 0.59, r₂ = 0.073; Na salt r₁ = 3.97, r₂ = 0·126; K salt r₁ = 5.65, r₂ = 0.143. The MMA-LiMA system shows azeotropic copolymerization for a mole fraction of MMA in the feed equal to 0.7. This system shows a strong tendency towards alternation (r₁r₂ = 0.044). The differences in the reactivity ratios are discussed in relation to steric and electrostatic effects.