Solvent Effect on Copolymerization

For copolymerizations between non protie monomers solvent effects are less marked. Indeed, early work concluded that the reactivity ratios in copolymerizations involving only non-protic monomers (eg. S, MMA, AN, VAe, etc.) should show no solvent dependence.100101 More recent studies on these and other systems (e.g. AN-S,102-105 E-VAc,106 MAN-S,107 MMA-S,10s "° MMA-VAc1" ) indicate small yet significant solvent effects (some recent data for AN-S copolymerization are shown in Table 8.5). However, the origin of the solvent effect in these cases is not clear. There have been various attempts to rationalize solvent effects on copolymerization by establishing correlations between radical reactivity and various solvent and monomer properties.71,72 97 99 None has been entirely successful. 

One final point should be made. The observation of significant solvent effects on kp in homopolymerization and on reactivity ratios in copolymerization (Section 8.3.1) calls into question the methods for reactivity ratio measurement which rely on evaluation of the polymer composition for various monomer feed ratios (Section 7.3.2). If solvent effects arc significant, it would seem to follow that reactivity ratios in bulk copolymerization should be a function of the feed composition.138 Moreover, since the reaction medium alters with conversion, the reactivity ratios may also vary with conversion. Thus the two most common sources of data used in reactivity ratio determination (i.e. low conversion composition measurements and composition conversion measurements) are potentially flawed. A corollary of this statement also provides one explanation for any failure of reactivity ratios to predict copolymer composition at high conversion. The effect of solvents on radical copolymerization remains an area in need of further research. 

The effects of solvent on radical copolymerization are mentioned in a number of reviews.69 72 97,98 For copolymerizations involving monomers that arc ionizablc or form hydrogen bonds (AM, MAM, HEA, HEMA, MAA, etc.) solvent effects on reactivity ratios can be dramatic. Some data for MAA-MMA copolymerization are shown in Table 8.4.w... 

Studies on the reactions of small model radicals with monomers provide indirect support but do not prove the bootstrap effect.111 Krstina et ahL i showed that the reactivities of MMA and MAN model radicals towards MMA, S and VAc were independent of solvent. However, small but significant solvent effects on reactivity ratios are reported for MMA/VAc111 and MMA S 7 copolymerizations. For the model systems, where there is no polymer coil to solvate, there should be no bootstrap effect and reactivities are determined by the global monomer ratio [Ma0]/[Mb0].1j1... 

For any specific type of initiation (i.e., radical, cationic, or anionic) the monomer reactivity ratios and therefore the copolymer composition equation are independent of many reaction parameters. Since termination and initiation rate constants are not involved, the copolymer composition is independent of differences in the rates of initiation and termination or of the absence or presence of inhibitors or chain-transfer agents. Under a wide range of conditions the copolymer composition is independent of the degree of polymerization. The only limitation on this generalization is that the copolymer be a high polymer. Further, the particular initiation system used in a radical copolymerization has no effect on copolymer composition. The same copolymer composition is obtained irrespective of whether initiation occurs by the thermal homolysis of initiators such as AIBN or peroxides, redox, photolysis, or radiolysis. Solvent effects on copolymer composition are found in some radical copolymerizations (Sec. 6-3a). Ionic copolymerizations usually show significant effects of solvent as well as counterion on copolymer composition (Sec. 6-4). 

These copolymerization parameters are only slightly influenced by the solvent used (Table 18) [116], suggesting a small solvent effect on the propagation reaction. The reactivity of methyl a-methoxyacrylate towards a polystyryl radical (l/r2) however tends to increase with increasing Ex value or dielectric constant of the solvent. Here again it appears that increased solvent polarity leads to an increased persistency of the captodative radical. 

The thermodynamic excluded volume effect should be also reflected as a solvent effect on gelation. That is, a more delayed gelation is expected in a good solvent than in a poor solvent this was the case in the solution polymerization of DAP in various solvents [75,76]. In this connection, Walling [3] has reported the solvent effect on the gelation in the copolymerization of MMA with EDMA, but the result was contrary to our expectations. So, we will discuss this subject in more detail later. 

In the end of 1960s, Nikolaev et al.29 and Ito et al.30 independently demonstrated an appreciable effect of the reaction medium on the reactivity ratios in the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and styrene (Table 19). Ito et al. found that the relative reactivity of methyl methacrylate toward the polystyryl radical is correlated with the transition energies ET for the longest wavelength absorption band for pyridinum TV-phenolbetaine in solvents. They suggested that the polarized structure of methyl methacrylate monomer becomes important in the transition state. Bonta et al.32 also demonstrated that there is an appreciable solvent effect on the reactivity ratio in the styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymerization in non-... 

If the complexed radical is inactive (k n = kx 2 = k22 = k21 = 0), Eq. (7.8) reduces to the ordinary Mayo-Lewis equation and no solvent effect on the reactivity ratio will be observed. Busfield et al.108) studied the solvent effect on the free radical copolymerization of vinyl acetate and methyl methacrylate. The methyl methacrylate content is unaffected by benzene and ethyl acetate. This result seems to be consistent with our assumption that the complexed radical is inactive in propagation. However, the solvent effect might not be observed in the case in which the reactivity of the complexed radical is proportional to that of the uncomplexed radical, because also in this case Eq. (7.8) reduces to the Mayo-Lewis form. It is difficult, therefore, to expect from the copolymerization experiment some evidence to support the concept of the complex formation. 

One final point should be made. The observation of significant solvent effects on kj, in homopolynierization and on reactivity ratios in copolymerization (Section... 

When solvent effects on the propagation step occur in fi-ee-radical copolymerization reactions, they result not only in deviations from the expected overall propagation rate, but also in deviations from the expected copolymer composition and microstructure. This may be... 

There are two cases to consider when predicting flie effect of solvent polarity on copolymerization propagation kinetics (1) the solvent polarity is dominated by an added solvent and polarity is thus independent of the comonomer feed ratio, or (2) the solvent polarity does depend on the comonomer feed ratio, as it would in a bulk copolymerization. In the first case, the effect on copolymerization kinetics is simple. The monomer reactivity ratios (and additional reactivity ratios, depending on which copolymerization model is appropriate for that system) would vary fi om solvent to solvent, but, for a given copolymerization system they would be constant as a function of the monomer feed ratios. Assuming of course that there were no additional types of solvent effect present, fliese copolymerization systems could be described by their appropriate base model (such as the terminal model or the explicit or implicit penultimate models), depending on the chemical structure of the monomers. 

There are two cases to consider when predicting the effect of solvent polarity on copolymerization propagation kinetics ... 

However, recent experimental and theoretical work has shown that the assumptions of the implicit penultimate model are unlikely to be applicable to the majority of copol5mierization systems. We have recently published a review of this evidence (37,42), which draws on direct experimental and theoretical measures of reactivity ratios, model testing in a range of copolymerization systems, and other tests of the mechanism of the propagation step via, for example, the examination of solvent effects on reactivity ratios. These studies provide strong evidence for penultimate imit effects but, in all cases where penultimate unit effects have been measured directly, effects on radical selectivity have been shown to be significant. In other words all available evidence contradicts the assumption of the implicit penultimate model that the penultimate unit affects reactivity but not selectivity. 

Intaragamjon, N., Shiono, T, (ongsomjit, B and Praserthdam, P, (2006) Elucidation of solvent effects on the catalytic behaviors for [t-BuNSiMe2Flu]TiMe2 complex during ethylene/l-hexene copolymerization,... 

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