NEW METHOD FOR INVESTIGATING THE MECHANISM OF INITIATION OF RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

The mechanism of initiation of polymerization of methyl acrylate by di-t-butyl peroxalate at 60°C, has been investigated using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as a radical trapping agent and isolation of the resulting products. The following processes were identified: Tail addition of t-butoxy radicals to monomer, hydrogen abstraction from the methyl group of the monomer and fragmentation of the t-butoxy radicals to methyl radicals followed by tail addition of these to the methyl acrylate. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.