Polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in ternary oil-in-water microemulsions using the cationic surfactants stearyltrimethylammonium chloride (STAC), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), or a mixture of nonionic nonylphenoxy poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants produce latex particles having weight average diameters of 17−41 nm. The small particle sizes and high molecular weights (M w = (2.5−6.5) × 106) indicate that most samples consist mainly of particles containing one polymer chain. The particle size varies little when the surfactant to monomer weight ratio is ≥1. Polymerizations using STAC at 35 °C produce smaller particles than at 60 °C. Radical polymerization of MMA in microemulsions produces predominantly syndiotactic PMMA containing 58−61% rr triads at 60 °C and 63−65% rr triads at 35 °C. The high molecular weight PMMA samples have T g = 125−126 °C.

An upper-division undergraduate polymer chemistry course was developed as a blended/hybrid course. The students met face-to-face once a week for 75 min with all other components being available online. Face-to-face meetings were used for class discussions/problem-based lectures, student presentations, hands-on activities, and examinations. Online components included study guides, the Macrogalleria, and online quizzes. This course is appropriate for students who have had one year of organic chemistry.

In today's world of instant coffee, instant meals, and instant messaging, undergraduate students prefer not to have to wait 30−60 min for an organic reaction to take place. Heating with microwaves is rapidly becoming more commonplace due to dramatically reduced reaction times and higher product yields. Students appreciate the short reaction times and like working with advanced technology by means of the commercial microwave reactors available today. Furthermore, undergraduate organic students like being able to relate an experiment to something that they see every day. For these reasons, the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, extracting caffeine from tea, and isolating trans-cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon sticks are popular experiments. One such experiment is the synthesis of the artificial sweetener dulcin (4ethoxyphenylurea), which can be prepared from the reaction of p-phenetidine and urea. Artificial sweetening agents are extremely important to the food industry because of the national concern with diet and weight control. The synthesis of this particular sweetener typically takes at least 30 min to reach completion. However, using microwave irradiation, the reaction reached completion in 5 min using a temperature of 125 °C. This procedure was implemented into the second semester undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory curriculum where students successfully prepared dulcin with reported yields ranging from 10% to 86% and an average yield of 39% after recrystallization.

Phenyl methacrylate and 1‐naphthyl methacrylate were polymerized in microemulsions using stearyltrimethylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and a mixture of nonionic Triton surfactants to form latexes that were 20–30 nm in diameter. A temperature of 70 °C was needed to obtain polymers using thermal initiation. The tacticities of poly(phenyl methacrylate) (PPhMA) (55% rr) and poly(1‐naphthyl methacrylate) (P‐1‐NM) (47% rr) were the same as those of the polymers prepared in toluene solutions. The weight average molecular weights were 1 × 106 and 5 × 105 g/mol for PPhMA and P‐1‐NM prepared in microemulsions with very broad distributions. PPhMA samples from microemulsions and solution had the same Tg = 127 °C. P‐1‐NM from microemulsions had Tg = 145–147 °C compared with Tg = 142 °C for P‐1‐NM from solution. The molecular weights and the glass‐transition temperatures of both PPhMA and P‐1‐NM from microemulsions are substantially higher than any previously reported. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 519–524, 2001

Free radical polymerizations of α‐methylstyrene (AMS) were performed in dispersions of oil in water using a mixture of nonionic nonylphenoxy poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants and initiated with ascorbic acid/hydrogen peroxide at temperatures ranging from 3 to 45 °C. A bimodal distribution of high (∼60,000 g/mol) and low molecular weight components (∼8000 g/mol) was analyzed by size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC). The relative amount of the low molecular weight fraction increased with increasing the polymerization temperature. The polymer yields decreased from 52% at 3 °C to 3% at 45 °C. The syndiotactic content of PAMS decreased from 70% rr at 3 °C to 58% rr at 45 °C. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 525–529, 2001