Photopolymerization initiated by charge transfer complex. II. Photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate with the use of γ-picoline–bromine charge transfer complex as photoinitiator

Polymerization of MMA was carried out in the presence of visible light (440 nm) with the use of γ-picoline-bromine charge transfer complex as the initiator. The rate of polymerization R_p increases with increasing monomer concentration and the monomer exponent was computed to be unity. The rate of polymerization increases with increasing initiator concentration. The initiator exponent was computed to be 0.5. The reaction was carried out at three different temperatures and the overall activation energy was calculated to be 4.5 kcal/mol. The polymerization was inhibited in the presence of hydroquinone. Kinetic and other evidence indicates that the overall polymerization takes place by a radical mechanism.