Monomer polymerization hydrogen atom initiation

The degree of dissociation is very small but the diphenylcyanomethyl radical is sufficiently reactive to induce polymerization in styrene. Methyl radicals or hydrogen atoms bring about polymerization of vinyl monomers in the gas phase.Hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ferrous ions initiates polymerization in the aqueous phase or in aqueous emulsions through generation of hydroxyl radicals according to the Haber-Weiss mechanism... 

Photopolymerization reactions are widely used for printing and photoresist appHcations (55). Spectral sensitization of cationic polymerization has utilized electron transfer from heteroaromatics, ketones, or dyes to initiators like iodonium or sulfonium salts (60). However, sensitized free-radical polymerization has been the main technology of choice (55). Spectral sensitizers over the wavelength region 300—700 nm are effective. AcryUc monomer polymerization, for example, is sensitized by xanthene, thiazine, acridine, cyanine, and merocyanine dyes. The required free-radical formation via these dyes may be achieved by hydrogen atom-transfer, electron-transfer, or exciplex formation with other initiator components of the photopolymer system. 

Studies in the photoinitiation of polymerization by transition metal chelates probably stem from the original observations of Bamford and Ferrar [33]. These workers have shown that Mn(III) tris-(acety]acetonate) (Mn(a-cac)3) and Mn (III) tris-(l,l,l-trifluoroacetyl acetonate) (Mn(facac)3) can photosensitize the free radical polymerization of MMA and styrene (in bulk and in solution) when irradiated with light of A = 365 at 25°C and also abstract hydrogen atom from hydrocarbon solvents in the absence of monomer. The initiation of polymerization is not dependant on the nature of the monomer and the rate of photodecomposition of Mn(acac)3 exceeds the rate of initiation and the initiation species is the acac radical. The mechanism shown in Scheme (14) is proposed according to the kinetics and spectral observations ... 

If a vinyl monomer is polymerized in the presence of cellulose by a free radical process, a hydrogen atom may be abstracted from the cellulose by a growing chain radical (chain transfer) or by a radical formed by the polymerization catalyst (initiator). This leaves an unshared electron on the cellulose chain that is capable of initiating grafting. As cellulose is a very poor transfer agent [10], very little copolymer results from the abstraction of hydrogen atoms by a growing chain radical. The... 

Cobalt porphyrin complexes are involved in the chain transfer catalysis of the free-radical polymerization of acrylates. Chain transfer catalysis occurs by abstraction of a hydrogen atom from a grow ing polymer radical, in this case by Co(Por) to form Co(Por)H. The hydrogen atom is then transferred to a new monomer, which then initiates a new propagating polymer chain. The reaction steps are shown in Eqs. 12 (where R is the polymer chain. X is CN), (13), and (14)." ... 

All important electronically conducting polymers, except perhaps for polyacetylene, can be prepared electrochemically by anodic oxidation of the monomers. The reaction is initiated by splitting off two hydrogen atoms from the monomer molecule (H—M—H), which subsequently polymerizes by interconnecting thus activated sites ... 

The chiral sites which are able to rationalize the isospecific polymerization of 1-alkenes are also able, in the framework of the mechanism of the chiral orientation of the growing polymer chain, to account for the stereoselective behavior observed for chiral alkenes in the presence of isospecific heterogeneous catalysts.104 In particular, the model proved able to explain the experimental results relative to the first insertion of a chiral alkene into an initial Ti-methyl bond,105 that is, the absence of discrimination between si and re monomer enantiofaces and the presence of diastereoselectivity [preference for S(R) enantiomer upon si (re) insertion]. Upon si (re) coordination of the two enantiomers of 3-methyl-l-pentene to the octahedral model site, it was calculated that low-energy minima only occur when the conformation relative to the single C-C bond adjacent to the double bond, referred to the hydrogen atom bonded to the tertiary carbon atom, is nearly anticlinal minus, A- (anticlinal plus, A+). Thus one can postulate the reactivity only of the A- conformations upon si coordination and of the A+ conformations upon re coordination (Figure 1.16). In other words, upon si coordination, only the synperiplanar methyl conformation would be accessible to the S enantiomer and only the (less populated) synperiplanar ethyl conformation to the R enantiomer this would favor the si attack of the S enantiomer with respect to the same attack of the R enantiomer, independent of the chirality of the catalytic site. This result is in agreement with a previous hypothesis of Zambelli and co-workers based only on the experimental reactivity ratios of the different faces of C-3-branched 1-alkenes.105... 

The monomer addition scheme, shown at the top, requires an initiator which is capable of removing a hydrogen atom from the allylic position of the butadiene, resonance stabilization of the radical from AIBN does not permit this initiator to effect this reaction while benzoyl peroxide is capable of reaction to remove a hydrogen atom and initiate the reaction. On the other hand the polymeric radical addition scheme requires that homopolymerization of the monomer be initiated and this macroradical then attack the polymer and lead to the formation of the graft copolymer. Huang and Sundberg explain that the reactivity of the monomer... 

Figure 6.9 Chemical structures of a few polymers (top) and an outline of the process of free radical-initiated polymerization (bottom). The free radical R attacks the end of a polymer chain through hydrogen atom abstraction. The broken polymer chain can then add another monomer unit R , and so on...

Polymerization of emulsion SBR is started by free radicals generated by the redox system in cold SBR and by persulfate or other initiator in hot SBR. The initiators are not involved in the molecular structure of the polymers. Almost all molecules are terminated by fragments of the chain transfer agent (a mercaptan). Schematically, the molecules are RSM H. where RS is the C H S pan of a dodccyl mercaptan molecule M is the monomer involved n is the degree of polymerization, and H is a hydrogen atom formerly attached to the sulfur of a mercaptan. In the case of free-radical-initiated polymerization of butadiene, by itself to form homopolymers or with other monomers for fonn copolymers, the butadiene will be about 18% 16% fix-1.4 and 66% trms-1,4-... 

The polyisoprenyl radicals (R ) initiate graft polymerization, while the hydrogen atoms do not lead to free polymethyl methacrylate but react more easily with rubber to form grafting sites, instead of initiating free chains. Evidently, if radicals directly derived from the monomer behaved in the same way, then almost quantitative graft copolymerization would be expected in the case of rubber (12, 221). 

A termination frequently encountered in many polymerizations results from a chain transfer process. In a radical polymerization such a reaction involves usually a transfer of a hydrogen atom and yields a radical which may or may not initiate further polymerization. The first alternative may be referred to as a proper chain transfer reaction, and such a transferring agent is known as a polymerization modifier. The second alternative is known as an inhibition or retardation of polymerization, the inhibitor or retarder being a substance which forms a stable radical, not sufficiently reactive in respect to the monomer, and therefore unable to initiate further polymerization. 

One factor that contributes to the heterogeneous nature of polypeptides produced by NCA polymerization is the multiple reactivity of the monomers [9]. NCA contain four reactive sites two electrophilic carbonyl carbons and two nucleophilic centers after deprotonation of the a-CH and NH hydrogen atoms. By use of traditional nucleophilic or basic initiators NCA ring-opening polymerization can proceed simultaneously along different competing pathways, which broadens mo-... 

Living species may be converted into dead ones by addition of a molecule with a mobile hydrogen atom (water, alcohol, etc.). Termination may also be performed by electrophilic molecules and in that case polymers are terminated by functional groups that can be used to initiate the polymerization of other monomers or as coupling adents between macromolecular chains. 

Transfer to polymer was observed, for example, in the polymerization of p-isopropyl-a-methylstyrene initiated by sodium naphthalene. The macromolecule can eliminate a proton (in the presence of cationic initiators a hydride ion, in radical polymerizations of this monomer a hydrogen atom). An active centre is generated... 

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