Microstructure of the copolymers of methyl methacrylate with other methacrylates obtained by radical and anionic copolymerizations in tetrahydrofuran

Monomer reactivity ratios r₁ and r₂ were determined in the copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA, M₁) with 1, 1-diphenylethyl (DPEMA), α,α-dimethylbenzyl (DMBMA), tert-butyl (t-BuMA), diphenylmethyl (DPMMA), phenyl (PhMA), and 1-naphthyl (NpMA) methacrylates (M₂) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) by azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 60°C and butyllithium (n-BuLi) at ?78°C. The reactivities of the monomers were explained in terms of the polar effect of the ester groups in both copolymerizations. All the copolymers isolated in low yields were converted to PMMA either directly or by copoly(MMA—methacrylic acid) to determine the triad tacticities of the copolymers. Coisotactic parameters σ₁₂ and σ₂₁ were determined by assuming the terminal model statistics. The σ₂₁ values always accorded to the σ₂₁ values within experimental error, and in radical copolymerizations they were between isotactic parameters σ₁₁ and σ₂₂ of the homopolymerizations of MMA and M₂ monomers. In anionic copolymerizations, however, the σ₁₂ = σ₂₁ values varied, depending on the M₂ monomers. In copolymerization with DPEMA the values were less than both σ₁₁ and σ₂₂ with DMBMA they were between σ₁₁ and σ₂₂, with DPMMA, nearly equal to σ₁₁, and with PhMA and NpMA, greater than both σ₁₁ and σ₂₂. The application of these parameters to copolymerizations performed at high conversion was also investigated.