Some aspects of the polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole by grignard reagents

The polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) initiated by PhMgBr in benzene was studied at 32°C. R_p is second order with respect to PhMgBr concentration but increases with NVC concentration (up to 0.06 M) and falls thereafter. R_p and P _n are depressed by the addition of thiophene and water. Modifiers such as benzaldehyde, butanone, and ethylene glycol practically inhibit the polymerization. Carbon tetrachloride and carbon dioxide, when passed through the NVC solution first, enhance the R_p and P _n increases with increasing PhMgBr and NVC concentrations, respectively. R_p increases with temperature, but P _n shows a maxium at a certain temperature. A cationic mechanism has been proposed where the polymerization is initiated by RMg⁺ cations produced from the ionization of PhMgBr by the Ashby and Smith mechanism.