Styrene, addition inhibition

The presence of stabilizer has little effect on poly (vinyl chloride) carboxylation (Table VIII). Since the other polymers were also subjected to the carboxylation process without removing commercial additives such as antioxidants, UV and thermal stabilizers, antiblocking agents, etc.—the additives inhibit neither the polymerization of the styrene-maleic anhydride complex nor the grafting reaction. 

The polymer is based on a simple head-to-tail arrangement of monomer units and is amorphous, since the specific position of the benzene ring is somewhat variable and hence inhibits crystallisation. Despite its generally desirable properties, for many applications it is considered too brittle. Because of this, a number of approaches have been made to modify the mechanical properties of poly (styrene). The most successful of these have been (i) copolymerisation and (ii) the addition of rubbery fillers. 

Polar effects appear to be of prime importance in determining the effect of quinones. p-Benzoquinone and chloranil (which are electron-poor) act as inhibitors toward electron-rich propagating radicals (vinyl acetate and styrene) but only as retarders toward the electron-poor acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate propagating radicals. A further observation is that the inhibiting ability of a quinone toward electron-poor monomers can be increased by the addition of an electron-rich third component such as an amine. Thus the presence of triethylamine converts chloranil from a very weak retarder to an inhibitor toward methyl methacrylate. 

Henrici-Olive and Olive were the first to put forward the hypothesis that complexes are sometimes formed between the active centre and the monomer and or/solvent [45], As only the complex with monomer is capable of propagation, part of the centres is inhibited and the polymerization rate is reduced. This theory was found to be valid with styrene [46], but not with MMA [47]. Burnett called attention to the important circumstance that radicals solvated in various ways may react differently, or at least at different rates [47]. His conclusions were based on kinetic studies of MMA polymerization in various halogenated aromatics. In the copolymerization of butyl vinyl ether with methacrylates, complex formation between the active centre and condensed aromatics prior to monomer addition was observed by Shaik-hudinov et al. [48], The growing polymer forms a stable donor-acceptor complex with naphthalene, described by the formula. 

It was discovered that the addition of 1,3-cyclohexadiene to the Rh -catalyzed reactions increased the rate of butadiene polymerization by a factor of over 20 [20]. Considering the reducing properties of 1,3-cyclohexadiene, this effect could be due to the reduction of Rh to Rh and stabilization of this low oxidation state by the diene ligands. With neat 1,3-cyclohexadiene, Rh is reduced to the metallic state. These emulsion polymerizations are sensitive to the presence of Lewis basic functional groups. A stoichiometric amount of amine (based on Rh) is sufficient to inhibit polymerization completely. It was also discovered that styrene could be polymerized using the Rh catalyst. However, the atactic nature of the polymer, along with the kinetic behavior of the reaction, indicated that a free-radical process, rather than a coordination-insertion mechanism, was operative. 

To give a specific example, the advantages of styrene as a substrate for peroxyl radical trapping antioxidants are well known" (i) Its rate constant, kp, for chain propagation is comparatively large (41 M s at 30 °C) so that oxidation occurs at a measurable, suppressed rate during the inhibition period and the inhibition relationship (equation 14) is applicable (ii) styrene contains no easily abstractable H-atom so it forms a polyper-oxyl radical instead of a hydroperoxide, so that the reverse reaction (equation 21), which complicates kinetic studies with many substrates, is avoided and (iii) the chain transfer reaction (pro-oxidant effect, equation 20) is not important with styrene since the mechanism is one involving radical addition of peroxyls to styrene. 

In considering chemical explanations for corona polymerization, both free radical and ionic intermediates are possibilities. Experiments were run with various additives to styrene that might be expected to inhibit each kind of reaction through combination with the active intermediate but no clear-cut reduction in yield was observed. Benzoquinone at 1 and 2 mole % gave normal yields. Water and butylamine were extensively... 

---