FREE-RADICAL HOMOPOLYMERIZATION AND COPOLYMERIZATION OF ETHYL ALPHA-HYDROXYMETHYLACRYLATE IN TETRAHYDROFURAN

Ethyl alpha-hydroxymethylacrylate (EHMA) was polymerized in a 3 mol/L tetrahydrofuran solution at 50-degrees-C, using 2-2' azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The kinetic behavior indicates a higher polymerization rate for EHMA than for methyl methacrylate (MMA). Copolymerization reaction between MMA and EHMA, under the same experimental conditions, was carried out and values of r(MMA) = 1.264 and r(EHMA) = 1.285 were found for the reactivity ratios. The comparison of triad sequences as determined from Bernouillian statistic to those calculated from the experimental spliting of O-methyl and alpha-methyl H-1-NMR signals of the copolymers confirm the obtained results.