Initiator monofunctional

The success of obtaining polystyrene products by free radical processes is affected to a significant extent by the quality and performance of initiators. Monofunctional initiators such as benzoyl peroxide or azobisisobutyronitrile have been utilized in bulk and solution polymerizations for theoretical studies... 

Polyether Polyols. Polyether polyols are addition products derived from cyclic ethers (Table 4). The alkylene oxide polymerisation is usually initiated by alkah hydroxides, especially potassium hydroxide. In the base-catalysed polymerisation of propylene oxide, some rearrangement occurs to give aHyl alcohol. Further reaction of aHyl alcohol with propylene oxide produces a monofunctional alcohol. Therefore, polyether polyols derived from propylene oxide are not truly diftmctional. By using sine hexacyano cobaltate as catalyst, a more diftmctional polyol is obtained (20). Olin has introduced the diftmctional polyether polyols under the trade name POLY-L. Trichlorobutylene oxide-derived polyether polyols are useful as reactive fire retardants. Poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) is produced in the acid-catalysed homopolymerisation of tetrahydrofuran. Copolymers derived from tetrahydrofuran and ethylene oxide are also produced. 

Various techniques have been studied to increase sohds content. Hydroxy-functional chain-transfer agents, such as 2-mercaptoethanol [60-24-2], C2HgOS, reduce the probabihty of nonfunctional or monofunctional molecules, permitting lower molecular-weight and functional monomer ratios (44). Making low viscosity acryhc resins by free-radical initiated polymerization requires the narrowest possible molecular-weight distribution. This requires carehil control of temperature, initiator concentration, and monomer concentrations during polymerization. 

These unsaturated alcohols act as monofunctional initiators, giving rise to terminally unsaturated PO-EO diblock impurities, which may be quantified by determining the degree of unsaturation in the final product. 

Initiators where the radical generating functions are sufficiently remote from each other break-down in a non-concerted fashion. Examples include the azoperoxide (68) and the bis-diazene (67).261 Their chemistry is often understandable in terms of the chemistry of analogous monofunctional initiators.260 This class also includes the dialkyl peroxyketaLs (see 3.3.2.4) and hydroperoxyketals (see 3.3.2.5). 

Chains with uttdesired functionality from termination by combination or disproportionation cannot be totally avoided. Tn attempts to prepare a monofunctional polymer, any termination by combination will give rise to a difunctional impurity. Similarly, when a difunctional polymer is required, termination by disproportionation will yield a monofunctional impurity. The amount of termination by radical-radical reactions can be minimized by using the lowest practical rate of initiation (and of polymerization). Computer modeling has been used as a means of predicting the sources of chain ends during polymerization and examining their dependence on reaction conditions (Section 7.5.612 0 J The main limitations on accuracy are the precision of rate constants which characterize the polymerization. 

The latter seem to be more reactive than the former, and hence the shift of the equilibrium leads to an increase in the polymerization rate. This explanation was verified by investigating the polymerization initiated by monofunctional initiators31), as well as by difunctional poly-a-methyl styrene of DP 70 and 270 32). No curvature was observed in the first case, neither in the second provided that the DPn of the initiator was sufficiently large. 

Monofunctional 2-bromo-2-methylpropionic acid 4-methoxyphenyl ester and difunctional l,4-(2/-bromo-2/-methyl-propionate)benzene initiators, given in Scheme 26, were employed for the polymerization of n-BuMA followed by the addition of DMAEMA, thus leading to the formation of PnBuMA-fo-PDMAEMA block and PDMAEMA-b-PnBuMA-h-PDMAEMA tri-... 

Monofunctional and difunctional xanthates, shown in Scheme 30, were employed as chain transfer agents in the synthesis of block and triblock copolymers of acrylic acid, AA and acrylamide, AAm PAA-fr-PAAm, PAAm-fr-PAA-fo-PAAm and P(AA-sfaf-AAm)-fr-PAAm [81]. The polymerizations were conducted in aqueous solutions at 70 °C with 4,4 -azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) as the initiator. The yields were almost quantitative,... 

The formation of crosslinks in silk fibroin increases the tenacity and resistance to deformation of the fibres, as reflected in the initial modulus and the yield point. This protective effect conferred by fixation of the bifunctional dye Cl Reactive Red 194 was not shown by the monofunctional Orange 16, which is unable to form crosslinks. The loss in tenacity of undyed silk that is observed on treatment at 90 °C and pH 7 for 2 hours is attributable to lowering of the degree of polymerisation (DP) by hydrolysis of peptide bonds. The crosslinking action of bifunctional dyes tends to compensate for this loss in DP and provides an intermolecular network that helps to maintain the physical integrity of the fibre structure [124] ... 

Table X. Synergistic Effect of Monofunctional Monomers Including Methacrylates with Inorganic Salts(L) in Grafting Styrene to Polypropylene Initiated by UVa...

In order to properly control the polymer molecular weight, one must precisely adjust the stoichiometric imbalance of the bifunctional monomers or of the monofunctional monomer. If the nonstoichiometry is too large, the polymer molecular weight will be too low. It is therefore important to understand the quantitative effect of the stoichiometric imbalance of reactants on the molecular weight. This is also necessary in order to know the quantitative effect of any reactive impurities that may be present in the reaction mixture either initially or that are formed by undesirable side reactions. Impurities with A or B functional groups may drastically lower the polymer molecular weight unless one can quantitatively take their presence into account. Consider now the various different reactant systems which are employed in step polymerizations ... 

Molecular weight control and stabilization are accomplished by addition of a calculated amount of a monofunctional acid such as acetic acid. Diamine loss during polymerization is unavoidable because of its volatility. The loss must be quantitatively taken into account by careful control of process conditions and initial charges of reactants. 

Tri- and higher block copolymers, such as ABA, ABC, ABCB, can be synthesized by a continuation of the processes with the successive additions of the appropriate monomers. A symmetric block copolymer such as ABA or CABAC can be made efficiently by using a difunctional initiator, such as, a, a-dichloro-p-xylene or dimethyl 2,6-dibromoheptanedioate, instead of the monofunctional initiator. For the ABA block copolymer only two, instead of three, monomer charges are needed ... 

Poly(alkylene oxide)-based (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock and diblock copolymers are commercially successful, linear non-ionic surfactants which are manufactured by BASF and ICI. Over the last four decades, these block copolymers have been used as stabilisers, emulsifiers and dispersants in a wide range of applications. With the development of ATRP, it is now possible to synthesise semi-branched analogues of these polymeric surfactants. In this approach, the hydro-phobic PPO block remains linear and the terminal hydroxyl group(s) are esteri-fied using an excess of 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide to produce either a monofunctional or a bifunctional macro-initiator. These macro-initiators are then used to polymerise OEGMA, which acts as the branched analogue of the PEO block (see Figures 2 and 3). 

Organic monoliths are based on copolymerization of a monofunctional and a bifunctional (uncommonly trifunctional) organic precursor in the presence of a suitable initiator and a porogenic solvent. During the last 15 years, a vast number of different monomers and cross-linkers have been introduced and copolymerized using different polymerization techniques and initiators. A general survey of the tremendous amount of scientific contributions can be gained from numerous reviews [25-32],... 

To prove that under these conditions, the IB polymerization is living, a monofunctional analogue of 1,2-p-methoxyphenyl-2-methoxypropane, was used to study the kinetics by incremental monomer addition technique. Results of this study indicated Hving polymerization with slow initiation [61,62]. 

The terms in Equation 1.3 (Malkin s autocatalytic model) are described in Nomenclature. In Malkin s autocatalytic model, the concentration of the activator, [A], is defined as the concentration of the initiator times the functionality of the initiator. For a difimctional initiator [e.g., isophthaloyl-bis-caprolactam, the concentration of the activator (acyllactam) is twice the concentration of the initiator]. The term [C] is defined as the concentration of the metal ion that catalyzes the anionic polymerization of caprolactam. In a magnesium-bromide catalyzed system, the concentration of the metal ion is the same as the concentration of the caprolactam-magnesium-bromide (catalyst) because the latter is monofunctional. 

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