By MINORU MATSUDA, MASASHI IINO, and NIICHIRO TOKURA (Eingegangcn am 2. Januar 1963) S U M M il R Y:Only polymclhyl methacrylate was obtained and polysulfone was not produced when radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in liquid sulfur dioxide. When acrylonitrile (AN) with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and with a-methyl styrene (aMST) were copolymerized respectively, the copolysulfones were not obtained. Liquid sulfur dioxide acted only as a solvent. The following monomer reactivity ratios were obtained: rl (AN) = 0.09 & 0.05, r2 (MMA) = 1.01 i 0.07 : rI (AN) = 0.08 i. 0.03, r2 (aMST) = 0.25 i 0.06. Tetraethyl ammonium bromide (TEAB) were added to these copolymcrization systems to see that there is almost no change in the values of r;s and r i s . Also no change was observed in the fraction of acrylonitrile and styrene in the copolymer formed with or without added TEAB when the radical copolymerization of AN and styrene in liquid sulfur dioxide was carried out. I t was therefore made clear that the effect of TEAB on the radical polymerization of acrylonitrile in liquid sulfur dioxide was acting principally on the termination step. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Bei der radikalischen Polymerisation von Methylmethacrylat in fliissigem Schwefeldioxyd wird nur Polymethylmethacrylat, aber kein Polysulfon erhalten. Auch bei der Copolymerisation von Acrylnitril (AN) mit Methylmethacrylat (MMA) oder mit a-Methylstyrol (aMST) erhalt man keine Copolysulfone; fliissiges Schwcfeldioxyd wirkt nur als Losungsmittel. Folgende Copolymerisations-Parameter wurden erhalten: rl (AN) = 0,09 f 0,05, r2 (MMA) = 1 , O l i 0,07 : rl (AN) = 0,08 & 0,03, r2 (aMST) = 0,25 + 0,06.Zusatz von Tetraathylammoniumbromid (TEAB) zum Copolymerisationssystem ruft kcine Anderung der rl-und r,-Werte hervor. Auch sind die Acrylnitril-und Styrolfraktionen im Copolymercn bei der radikalischen Copolymerisation von AN und Styrol in flussigem Schwefeldioxyd unabhangig von einem TEAB-Zusatz, was darauf schliel3en lafit, da13 TEAB prinzipiell die Kcttenabbruchreaktion beeinflufit.