KINETICS OF COTELOMERIZATION .2. EVOLUTION OF MEAN DEGREE OF POLYMERIZATION IN COTELOMERIZATION - CUMULATIVE MEAN DEGREE OF POLYMERIZATION, USE OF THE LEWIS-MAYO RELATIONSHIP

The aim of this study is to show that the Lewis and Mayo formula can be used to calculate the conversion rates (alpha-1, alpha-2) of monomers during cotelomerization, when reactivity ratios r1 and r2 are known. The calculated and experimental values are in good agreement in the two studied cases, i.e. for the cotelomers dodecanethiol/methyl methacrylate/maleic anhydride and dodecane-thiol/methyl methacrylate/2-3 epoxypropyl methacrylate. Then, as has already been demonstrated for telomerization, it is shown that (DPBAR(n))i in cotelomerization becomes (DPBAR(n))0 during the reaction and that what is really measured is a (DPBAR(n))cum = (DPBAR(n))0 at the end of the reaction. This has been experimentally verified on the specified cotelomers and a good correlation is found with theoretically calculated values.