Copolymerization Mathematics and the Description of Stereoregular Polymers

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Abstract
The mathematics of Markoffian processes has been applied to the description of the copolymerization of vinyl monomers and to the characterization of stereoregular polymers. Expressions for polymer compositions for copolymerization of two monomers are given for the cases where the terminal sequence of the growing chain contains one, two, or three units, including the terminal radical. Expressions for polymer compositions are also presented for the case of the copolymerization of three monomers. The mathematics are extended to cover the characterization of stereoregular polymers formed either from monosubstituted or from α-β-disubstituted vinyl monomers. The mathematical requirements for the experimental characterization of such polymers are discussed.