Chain transfer kinetics

Chain Transfer. Kinetic and structural evidence has been... 

This chemical concept of transfer is to be distinguished from the like-sounding kinetic or chain transfer. Kinetic transfers only consist of such reactions where the newly formed free radical A can start a new polymerization. If, however, this free radical is inactive, then the reaction is a termination reaction in the kinetic sense, and not a transfer reaction [see also Equation... 

Polymerization rate behavior vs. funetional group eoneentration change is shown to be only a funetion of the ration of propagation to chain transfer kinetic parameters. 

CLD of a polymer contains a history of the kinetic events that have occurred throughout the polymerization. Information on chain transfer kinetics can be readily extracted from the CLD of a polymer. Equation [3] was derived by Clay and Cilbert. ... 

Elsewhere in this chapter we shall see that other reactions-notably, chain transfer and chain inhibition-also need to be considered to give a more fully developed picture of chain-growth polymerization, but we shall omit these for the time being. Much of the argumentation of this chapter is based on the kinetics of these three mechanistic steps. We shall describe the rates of the three general kinds of reactions by the notation Rj, Rp, and R for initiation, propagation, and termination, respectively. 

Since the radical lifetime provides the final piece of information needed to independently evaluate the three primary kinetic constants-remember, we are still neglecting chain transfer-the next order of business is a consideration of the measurement of r. 

The three-step mechanism for free-radical polymerization represented by reactions (6.A)-(6.C) does not tell the whole story. Another type of free-radical reaction, called chain transfer, may also occur. This is unfortunate in the sense that it complicates the neat picture presented until now. On the other hand, this additional reaction can be turned into an asset in actual polymer practice. One of the consequences of chain transfer reactions is a lowering of the kinetic chain length and hence the molecular weight of the polymer without necessarily affecting the rate of polymerization. 

The kinetic chain length has a slightly different definition in the presence of chain transfer. Instead of being simply the ratio Rp/R, it is redefined to be the rate of propagation relative to the rates of all other steps that compete with propagation specifically, termination and transfer (subscript tr) ... 

Chain transfer reactions to monomer and/or solvent also occur and lower the kinetic chain length without affecting the rate of polymerization ... 

Mechanisms. Because of its considerable industrial importance as well as its intrinsic interest, emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate in the presence of surfactants has been extensively studied (75—77). The Smith-Ewart theory, which describes emulsion polymerization of monomers such as styrene, does not apply to vinyl acetate. Reasons for this are the substantial water solubiUty of vinyl acetate monomer, and the different reactivities of the vinyl acetate and styrene radicals the chain transfer to monomer is much higher for vinyl acetate. The kinetics of the polymerization of vinyl acetate has been studied and mechanisms have been proposed (78—82). 

Bamford43,59 63 has proposed a general treatment for solving polymerization kinetics with chain length dependent kt and considered in some detail the ramifications with respect to molecular weight distributions and the kinetics of chain transfer, retardation, etc. 

Many emulsion polymerizations can be described by so-called zero-one kinetics. These systems are characterized by particle sizes that are sufficiently small dial entry of a radical into a particle already containing a propagating radical always causes instantaneous termination. Thus, a particle may contain either zero or one propagating radical. The value of n will usually be less than 0.4. In these systems, radical-radical termination is by definition not rate determining. Rates of polymerization are determined by the rates or particle entry and exit rather than by rates of initiation and termination. The main mechanism for exit is thought to be chain transfer to monomer. It follows that radical-radical termination, when it occurs in the particle phase, will usually be between a short species (one that lias just entered) and a long species. 

It is clear that many procedures used to evaluate chain transfer constants can also be used to evaluate the kinetics of inhibition. The following sections will show that the mechanism for inhibition is often more complex than suggested by Scheme 5.11. 

GPC-derived weight average molecular weights are often less prone to error than number average molecular weights. When termination is wholly hy disproportionation or chain transfer and chains are long (>10 units), classical kinetics predicts Xn = XJ2 (Section 5.2.1.3). It follows that Cit can be obtained from the slope of a plot of 21 Xw vs [T]0/[M]t>."4 "5 The errors introduced even when the dominant process for radical-radical termination is combination (e.g. S polymerization) are small as long as X n is small in relation to... 

Chain transfer is kinetically equivalent to copolymerization. The Q-e and Patterns of Reactivity schemes used to predict reactivity ratios in copolymerization (Section 7.3.4) can also be used to predict reactivities (chain transfer constants) in chain transfer and the same limitations apply. Tabulations of the appropriate parameters can be found in the Polymer Handbook 3 ... 

If both addition and fragmentation arc irreversible the kinetics differ little from conventional chain transfer. In the more general case, the rate constant for chain transfer is defined in terms of the rate constant for addition and a partition coefficient which defines how the adduct is partitioned between products and starting materials (eq. 19). 

The proposal that PVAc also has non-hydrolyzable long chain branches stems from the finding that PVA also possesses long chain branches. No/akura et a/.171 "07 suggested, on the basis of kinetic measurements coupled with chemical analysis, that chain transfer to PVAc involves preferential abstraction of backbone (methine) hydrogens (ca 5 1 v,v the acetate methyl hydrogens at 60 °C). 

ESI mass spectrometry ive mass spectrometry ESR spectroscopy set EPR spectroscopy ethyl acetate, chain transfer to 295 ethyl acrylate (EA) polymerizalion, transfer constants, to macromonomers 307 ethyl methacrylate (EMA) polymerization combination v.v disproportionation 255, 262 kinetic parameters 219 tacticity, solvent effects 428 thermodynamics 215 ethyl radicals... 

Thus with aMeSt, the kinetic chain is relatively short, monomer is consumed mainly by initiation and propagation, and chain transfer by the HSiCCHj CH H C Q initiator is unfavorable (see Sect. III.B.3.b.i.). In contrast, with isobutylene the kinetic chain may live longer because it is sustained by thermodynamically favorable chain transfer by the initiator. Scheme 5 illustrates the mechanism of isobutylene polymerization by the HSi(CH3)2CH2CH29>CH2Cl/Me3Al system. The kinetic chain is sustained by chain transfer loops shown on the left margin of the Scheme. 

Figures 1-4 show that when polymerizations were carried out at low concentrations of initiator and/or at low temperatures, the agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data is not so good. This is due to the fact that under those reaction conditions where R is low a large kinetic chain length is expected. When this is so, chain transfer to monomer becomes a reaction to be taken into account, since it markedly influences the chain length of the polymer being formed. A decrease in the instantaneous degree of polymerization, due to chain transfer to monomer, will reduce the concentration of the entangled radicals and, consequently, a decrease in the rate of polymerization is expected.

The studies of configuration showed that telomers were formed predominantly as E-form. The data of relative kinetics show that the partial chain transfer constants for telomer radicals are close to one and do not change virtually as the length of the radical chain grows. 

C6H5CH2CH2CHCF3 has been first found in this example by ESR technique i.e. the third process - fragmentation - is added to the two competing processes, in which this radical participates (1) the chain transfer and (2) the addition to monomers. The fragmentation causes certain corrections in kinetic parameters of the process (ref. 23), as we shall see below. 

The reaction of benzyl bromide with vinyltrimethylsilane was used for studying a general kinetics of addition under conditions of metal complex initiation (ref. 26). One of the crucial questions in this case is how the chain transfer step proceeds by "purely" homolytic mechanism (via benzyl bromide) ... 

The chemical mechanisms of transition metal catalyses are complex. The dominant kinetic steps are propagation and chain transfer. There is no termination step for the polymer chains, but the catalytic sites can be activated and deactivated. The expected form for the propagation rate is... 

Free radical polymerization of MMA is a well understood process. The kinetic mechanism neglecting the chain transfer reactions is given as follows (Odian (1970), Rudin (1982)). 

Usually, reactions 1 and 2 take place in the aqueous jiiase, yttiile all the other kinetic events can occur both in the aqueous and in the polymer phases. Note that Pj,n indicates the concentration of active polymer chains with nTronaner units and tenninal unit of type j (i. e. of monomer j) Hi is the concentration of monomer i and T is the concentration of the chain transfer agent. Reactions 4 and 5 are responsible for chain desorption from the polymer pjarticles reactions 6 and 7 describe bimolecular temination by conJoination and disproportionation, respiectively. All the kinetic constants are depsendent upon the last monomer unit in the chain, i. e. terminal model is assumed. 

The corresponding reactions of transient Co(OEP)H with alkyl halides and epoxides in DMF has been proposed to proceed by an ionic rather than a radical mechanism, with loss of from Co(OEP)H to give [Co(TAP), and products arising from nucleophilic attack on the substrates. " " Overall, a general kinetic model for the reaction of cobalt porphyrins with alkenes under free radical conditions has been developed." Cobalt porphyrin hydride complexes are also important as intermediates in the cobalt porphyrin-catalyzed chain transfer polymerization of alkenes (see below). 

This is clo.sely related to the Tertiary radical synthesis" scheme for the preparation of organocobalt porphyrins, in which alkenes insert into the Co—H bond of Co(Por)H instead of creating a new radical as in Eq. (13). If the alkene would form a tertiary cobalt alkyl then polymerization rather than cobalt-alkyl formation is observed. " " " The kinetics for this process have been investigated in detail, in part by competition studies involving two different alkenes. This mimics the chain transfer catalysis process, where two alkenes (monomer and oligomers or... 

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