Acrylates and methacrylates

Tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate and methacrylate reactive unsaturated monomers, are readily polymerized and easily cross-linked by exposure to heat, peroxide catalysts, or uv radiation. 

Acrylate and methacrylate polymerizations are accompanied by the Hberation of a considerable amount of heat and a substantial decrease in volume. Both of these factors strongly influence most manufacturing processes. Excess heat must be dissipated to avoid uncontrolled exothermic polymerizations. In general, the percentage of shrinkage decreases as the size of the alcohol substituent increases on a molar basis, the shrinkage is relatively constant (77). 

Numerous recipes have been pubUshed, primarily ia the patent Hterature, that describe the preparation of acrylate and methacrylate homopolymer and copolymer dispersions (107,108). A typical process for the preparation of a 50% methyl methacrylate, 49% butyl acrylate, and 1% methacrylic acid terpolymer as an approximately 45% dispersion ia water begias with the foUowiag charges ... 

Despite numerous efforts, there is no generally accepted theory explaining the causes of stereoregulation in acryflc and methacryflc anionic polymerizations. Complex formation with the cation of the initiator (146) and enoflzation of the active chain end are among the more popular hypotheses (147). Unlike free-radical polymerizations, copolymerizations between acrylates and methacrylates are not observed in anionic polymerizations however, good copolymerizations within each class are reported (148). 

In these equations I is the initiator and I- is the radical intermediate, M is a vinyl monomer, I—M- is an initial monomer radical, I—M M- is a propagating polymer radical, and and are polymer end groups that result from termination by disproportionation. Common vinyl monomers that can be homo-or copolymeri2ed by radical initiation include ethylene, butadiene, styrene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, acrylic and methacrylic acid esters, acrylonitrile, A/-vinylirnida2ole, A/-vinyl-2-pyrrohdinone, and others (2). 

Table 9. Common Functional Monomers for Copolymerization with Acrylic and Methacrylic Esters...

Unlike ftee-tadical polymerizations, copolymerizations between acrylates and methacrylates ate not observed in anionic polymerizations however, good copolymerizations within each class ate reported (99). 

Group-Transfer Polymerization. Du Pont has patented (29) a technique known as group-transfer polymerization and appHed it primarily to the polymerization of acrylates and methacrylates. It is mechanistically similar to anionic polymerization, giving living chains, except that chain transfer can occur (30). 

The largest volume commercial derivatives of 1-butanol are -butyl acrylate [141-32-2] and methacrylate [97-88-1] (10). These are used principally ia emulsion polymers for latex paints, ia textile appHcations and ia impact modifiers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride). The consumption of / -butanol ia the United States for acrylate and methacrylate esters is expected to rise to 182,000—186,000 t by 1993 (10). 

Silicone Acrylates. The development of rigid gas-permeable lens materials advanced significantly after the development of polysiloxanylaLkyl acrylates and methacrylates (1), as a component in hard lens materials (56,57), as claimed in a series of patents (58—62). 

Bead Polymerization Bulk reaction proceeds in independent droplets of 10 to 1,000 [Lm diameter suspended in water or other medium and insulated from each other by some colloid. A typical suspending agent is polyvinyl alcohol dissolved in water. The polymerization can be done to high conversion. Temperature control is easy because of the moderating thermal effect of the water and its low viscosity. The suspensions sometimes are unstable and agitation may be critical. Only batch reaciors appear to be in industrial use polyvinyl acetate in methanol, copolymers of acrylates and methacrylates, polyacrylonitrile in aqueous ZnCh solution, and others. Bead polymerization of styrene takes 8 to 12 h. 

Acrylates and methacrylates, which are critical to the production of polyesters, plastics, latexes, and synthetic lubricants, can also be produced from these oxygenated intermediates. 

Acrylic and methacrylic acids and their esters are highly versatile materials in that the acid and ester side groups can partake in a variety of reactions to produce a very large number of polymerisable monomers. One particularly interesting approach is that in which two methacrylic groupings are linked together so that there are two, somewhat distant, double bonds in the molecule. In these cases it is possible to polymerise through each of these double bonds separately and this will lead eventually to a cross-linked network structure. 

Figure 15.12. Brittle points of n-alkyl acryl acrylate and methacrylate ester polymers. (After Rehberg and Fisher, copyright 1948 by The American Chemical Society and reprinted by permission of the...

Whilst the aliphatic nylons are generally classified as being impact resistant, they are affected by stress concentrators like sharp comers which may lead to brittle failures. Incorporation of mbbers which are not soluble in the nylons and hence form dispersions of rubber droplets in the polyamide matrix but which nevertheless can have some interaction between mbber and polyamide can be most effective. Materials described in the literature include the ethylene-propylene rubbers, ionomers (q.v.), polyurethanes, acrylates and methacrylates, ABS polymers and polyamides from dimer acid. 

Nickel carbonyl Carbonylation of acetylene and alcohols to produce acrylic and methacrylic acids Acute respiratory failure carcinogenic... 

GPC analysis of homo- and copolymers of acrylic esters ( acrylic will be used throughout this chapter to refer to both acrylic and methacrylic) is quite straightforward. A representative set of conditions is... 

Acrylamide is the most important and the simplest of the acrylic and methacrylic amides. Acrylamide is a colorless crystalline solid. The basic physical properties and solubilities of acrylamide are given in Table I. Acrylamide is a severe neurotoxin and is a cumulative toxicological hazard. 

Radical copolymerization is used in the manufacturing of random copolymers of acrylamide with vinyl monomers. Anionic copolymers are obtained by copolymerization of acrylamide with acrylic, methacrylic, maleic, fu-maric, styrenesulfonic, 2-acrylamide-2-methylpro-panesulfonic acids and its salts, etc., as well as by hydrolysis and sulfomethylation of polyacrylamide Cationic copolymers are obtained by copolymerization of acrylamide with jV-dialkylaminoalkyl acrylates and methacrylates, l,2-dimethyl-5-vinylpyridinum sulfate, etc. or by postreactions of polyacrylamide (the Mannich reaction and Hofmann degradation). Nonionic copolymers are obtained by copolymerization of acrylamide with acrylates, methacrylates, styrene derivatives, acrylonitrile, etc. Copolymerization methods are the same as the polymerization of acrylamide. 

MMA, styrene, 2-hydroxy ethyl methyacrylate, 2-hy-droxypropyl methacrylate, acrylic and methacrylic acids, acrylamide and N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) [64]. By this process, polyurethane is partially converted to N-chloro or N-bromo derivatives by a short immersion... 

For flexible chain copolymers based on acrylic and methacrylic acids (AA and MA) crosslinked with a polyvinyl component, the inhomogeneity of the structures formed depends on the nature of the crosslinking agent, its content in the reaction mixture and the thermodynamic quality of the solvent [13,14],... 

The furfuryl esters of acrylic and methacrylic acid polymerize via a free-radical mechanism without apparent retardation problems arising from the presence of the furan ring. Early reports on these systems described hard insoluble polymers formed in bulk polymerizations and the cross-linking ability of as little as 2% of furfuryl acrylate in the solution polymerization of methylacrylate121. ... 

Since that time, many studies by NMR and other techniques on the microstructure of acrylic and methacrylic polymers formed by radical polymerization have proved their predominant head-to-tail structure. 

For less polar monomers, the most extensively studied homopolymerizations are vinyl esters (e.g. VAc), acrylate and methacrylate esters and S. Most of these studies have focused wholly on the polymerization kinetics and only a few have examined the mierostructures of the polymers formed. Most of the early rate data in this area should be treated with caution because of the difficulties associated in separating effects of solvent on p, k and initiation rate and efficiency. 

The catalysts 153-155 shown in Table 9.7 have been used for polymerizations of acrylates and methacrylates and S. The catalyst 155 used in conjunction with an iodo compound initiator has also been employed for VAc polymerization.3"0 Catalytic chain transfer (Section 6.2.5) occurs in competition with halogen atom transfer with some catalysts. 

Acrylates and Methacrylates Acrylic acid or Methacrylic acid + Alcohols (C3 or C4 olefins)... 

Hydrophobic polymers with some hydrophilic groups can be obtained with an emulsion polymerization technique. Suitable monomers are nitrogen-containing acrylics and methacrylics allyl monomers such as dimethylamino-ethyl methacrylate, dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide, diethylamino-ethyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, diethylaminoethyl acrylate and nitrogen-containing allyl monomers (e.g., diallylamine and N,N-diallyl-cyclohexylamine) [225,226]. 

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