Copolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate withN-Phenylmaleimide in Different Solvents

Abstract
The copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and N-phenyl-maleimide (NPMI) in various solvents has been studied. It has beerr shown that monomer-monomer interaction exists and leads to the formation of a weak charge-transfer complex (CTC). The CTC concentration is found to depend on the type of solvent, and its equilibrium constant depends on the dielectric constant of the solvent and increases in the order DMSO < chloroform < benzene < CC14. NMR and dipole moment measurements have been used to investigate interaction between the monomers. The monomer reactivity ratios are found to vary appreciably with the type of solvent. The data obtained indicate that changes in the reactivity ratios are due to monomer solvation or to the solvent effect on the propagating radical, rather than to the participation of the CTC in the propagation step.

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