Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate in the Presence of Imidazole Derivatives. Kinetics and Polymer Structure |
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| Authors: | Natsuki Yamashita Hiroyuki Tanaka Satoru Deguchi Toshihisa Maeshima Lun-Shin Wei |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Applied Chemistry , Kinki University , 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, 577, Japan;2. Department of Food Science , University of Illinois , Urbana, Illinois, 61801;3. Department of Applied Chemistry , Kinki University , 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, 577, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The kinetics of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of imidazole (Im), 2-methylimidazole (2MIm), or benz-imidazole (BIm) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 15–40°C was investigated by dilatometry. The rate of polymerization, Rp , was expressed by Rp = k[Im] [MMA]2, where k = 3.0 × 10?6 L2/(mol2 s) in THF at 30°C. The overall activation energy, Ea , was 6.9 kcal/mol for the Im system and 7.3 kcal/mol for the 2MIm system. The relation between logRp and 1 T was not linear for the BIm system. The polymers obtained were soluble in acetone, chloroform, benzene, and THF. The melting points of the polymers were in the range of 258–280°C. The 1H-NMR spectra indicated that the polymers were made up of about 58–72% of syndiotactic structure. The polymerization mechanism is discussed on the basis of these results. |
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