Vinyl acetate copolymerization solvent effects

A lot of papers have been published on the effect of solvent on free radical polymerization rate. Studies on this effect have greatly been stimulated by (1) Norrish-Trommsdorff effect, (2) Q, e-scheme in copolymerization, (3) Retardation of the polymerization rate of vinyl acetate, (4) radical complex. 

The reduction in molecular weight of the polymer is slight as compared to that in many other solvents. Stockmayer et al.41,42 once interpreted this retardation effect in terms of copolymerization involving the aromatic ring, but the failure of the copolymerization of benzene with vinyl monomers was confirmed by the application of the isotope technique43-47. Therefore, the influence of aromatic compounds on the polymerization rate of vinyl acetate has remained unsolved. 

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. 

Despite the experimental difficulties, it has been established that for systems in which one of the comonomers is ionizable or forms hydrogen bonds, for example, methacrylic acid-MMA, the solvent has a decisive effect that can even change the nature of the copolymerization (alternating or ideal) [24]. Reactivity ratios of nonprotic monomers, such as styrene, MMA, or vinyl acetate, show only a slight solvent effect, but the cause is still unknown [24]. 

Prior to Harwood s work, the existence of a Bootstrap effect in copolymerization was considered but rejected after the failure of efforts to correlate polymer-solvent interaction parameters with observed solvent effects. Kamachi, for instance, estimated the interaction between polymer and solvent by calculating the difference between their solubility parameters. He found that while there was some correlation between polymer-solvent interaction parameters and observed solvent effects for methyl methacrylate, for vinyl acetate there was none. However, it should be noted that evidence for radical-solvent complexes in vinyl acetate systems is fairly strong (see Section 3), so a rejection of a generalized Bootstrap model on the basis of evidence from vinyl acetate polymerization is perhaps unwise. Kratochvil et al." investigated the possible influence of preferential solvation in copolymerizations and concluded that, for systems with weak non-specific interactions, such as STY-MMA, the effect of preferential solvation on kinetics was probably comparable to the experimental error in determining the rate of polymerization ( 5%). Later, Maxwell et al." also concluded that the origin of the Bootstrap effect was not likely to be bulk monomer-polymer thermodynamics since, for a variety of monomers, Flory-Huggins theory predicts that the monomer ratios in the monomer-polymer phase would be equal to that in the bulk phase. 

Radical-solvent complexes are more difficult to detect spectroscopically however, they do provide a plausible explanation for many of the solvent effects observed in free-radical homopolymerization—particularly those involving unstable radical intermediates (such as vinyl acetate) where complexation can lead to stabilization. For instance, Kamachi (50) observed that the homopropagation rate of vinyl acetate in a variety of aromatic solvents was correlated with the calculated delocalization stabilization energy for complexes between the radical and solvent. If such solvent effects are detected in the homopolymerization of one or both of the comonomers, then they are likely to be present in the copolymerization systems as well. Indeed, radical-complex models have been invoked to explain solvent effects in the copolymerization of vinyl acetate with acrylic acid (51). Radical-solvent complexes are probably not restricted merely to systems with highly unstable propagating radicals. In fact, radical-solvent complexes have even been proposed to explain the effects of some solvents (such as benzyl alcohol, A7 / 7 -dimethyl for-mamide, and acetonitrile) on the homo- and/or copolymerizations of styrene and methyl methacrylate (52-54). Certainly, radical-solvent complexes should be considered in systems where there is a demonstrable solvent effect in the copolymerizations and/or in the respective homopolymerizations. 

The copolymerization of a,p-unsaturated ketones has been studied extensively in order to improve the poor chemical and thermal stability exhibited by the homopolymers. The vinyl ketones have been copolymerized with most of the common vinyl and diene monomers. The data are given in Ref. [326]. For initiation, the same reagents could be used as for free-radical homopolymerization. Copolymerization was carried out in bulk [371] and in emulsion systems [372]. In copolymerization with methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate [373], and styrene [371] it was concluded that the relative reactivities of the vinyl ketones increase with the increasing electron-withdrawing nature of the vinyl ketone substituent. Polar and steric effects are not observed. Most of the work has been directed toward the preparation of oil- and solvent-resistant rubbers to replaee styrene-butadiene rubber. Emulsion eopolymerization of butadiene with methyl isopropenyl ketone yielded rubbers with good solvent resistance and low temperature flexibility, but the products tended to harden on storage and were not compatible with natural rubber [374]. The reactive earbonyl function caused sensitivity to alkine reagents. Copolymers of butylacrylate and methyl vinyl ketone, for example, can be erosslinked by treatment with hydrazine [375]. 

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