STUDY ON ACCEPTOR-DONOR COPOLYMERIZATION OF SOME MALEIMIDE-VINYL ETHER COMBINATIONS

Radical copolymerizations between N-substituted maleimides and vinyl ethers have been performed. Evidence of complex formation between N-methylmaleimide and 2-chloroethylvinylether has been obtained from H-1-NMR (K = 0.08 1 . mol- 1). We have made a kinetic study of radical copolymerizations between N-substituted maleimides (R = -Me, -C6H5, -nBu) and vinyl ethers (R' = -OC2H4OC6Hs, -OC2H4C6F13, -OC4H9, -OCH2C6H5). These kinetic studies show that the succinidyl radical reacts more rapidly with the maleimide than with the vinyl ether. This differential reactivity was confirmed by telomerization with a thiol as telogen. These results exclude the formation of an alternating copolymer under our experimental conditions.