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Published July 1989 | public
Journal Article

Model copolymerization reactions. Initiation of the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile by 1,1′-azobis(1-phenyl[1-^(13)C]ethane)

Abstract

The copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acrylonitrile (A) was initiated by photolysis of 1,1′-azobis(1-phenyl[^(13)C]ethane) (1) at 33°C in benzene. Determination of relative endgroup concentrations in the resulting copolymers allowed determination of the relative rates of addition of MMA and A to the 1-phenylethyl radical derived from 1. We find k_(MMA)/k_A = 0.44 ± 0.03, a value consistent with known copolymerization behavior. Further analysis of 75 MHz ^(13)C NMR spectra led to the determination of k_(MMA)/k_A for the 2-(4-phenylpentanenitrile) radical derived from primary radical addition to A. The measured value of kMMA/kA supports only one of five reported studies of the radical copolymerization behavior of MMA and A.

Additional Information

Copyright © 1989 Pergamon Press. (Received 14 February 1989) Acknowledgement is made to the donors of the Petroleum Research Fund, administered by the American Chemical Society, for partial support of this work. Support of our research by a Presidential Young Investigator Award of the National Science Foundation (to D.A.T.) is also gratefully acknowledged. NMR spectra were recorded in the University of Massachusetts NMR Laboratory, which is supported in part by the NSF Materials Research Laboratory at the University. The authors thank Dr Douglas A Wicks for advice and assistance.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 19, 2023