ANALYSIS OF THE LINEAR METHODS FOR DETERMINING COPOLYMERIZATION REACTIVITY RATIOS .8. A CRITICAL REEXAMINATION OF RADICAL COPOLYMERIZATION OF METHYLMETHACRYLATE OR STYRENE

The reactivity ratios of selected methylmethacrylate or styrene copolymerisation systems have been reviewed in terms of the extended Kelen‐Tüdős method. r‐values, together with their 95% confidence limits have been calculated. Quantities δ and Q, suitable for classification of the systems, have been applied. Of the 71 reevaluated methylmethacrylate systems 40 (56.3%) were found to belong to class I and 20 (28.2%) to class I(!), i. e. 60 (84.5%) systems for which the conventional copolymerisation equation was found to be adequate. For 3 (4.2%) systems belonging to class II the two‐parameter model does not hold and 8 (11.3%) systems were related to class III, i. e. systems for which the experimental data are inconsistent and the published r‐values meaningless. 32 styrene copolymerisation systems were reevaluated with the following classification: 19 (59.4%) systems in class I, 5 (15.6%) systems in class I(!), 2 systems in class II and 6 (18.8%) in class III. © 1990 Hüthig & Wepf Verlag, Basel