Polymerization of N-(2-phenylethoxycarbonyl)methacrylamide (PECMA) with dimethyl 2,2Ј-azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) was investigated in tetrahydrofuran (THF) kinetically and by means of electron spin resonance (ESR). The overall activation energy of the polymerization was calculated to be 58 kJ/mol. The initial polymerization rate (R p ) is expressed by R p ϭ k[MAIB] 0.3 [PECMA] 2.3 at 60°C. Such unusual kinetics may be ascribable to primary radical termination and to acceleration of propagation due to monomer association. Propagating poly(PECMA) radical was observed as a 13-line spectrum by ESR under practical polymerization conditions. ESR-determined rate constants of propagation (k p , 4.7-10.5 L/mol s) and termination (k t , 4.6 ϫ 10 4 L/ml s) at 60°C are much lower than those of methacrylamide and methacrylate esters. The Arrhenius plots of k p and k t gave activation energies of propagation (24 kJ/mol) and termination (25 kJ/mol). The copolymerizations of PECMA with styrene (St) and acrylonitrile were examined at 60°C in THF. Copolymerization parameters obtained for the PECMA (M 1 ) Ϫ St(M 2 ) system are as follows: r 1 ϭ 0.58, r 2 ϭ 0.60, Q 1 ϭ 0.73, and e 1 ϭ ϩ0.22.

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