Polymerization initiated by ylide: Polymerization of ethyl methacrylate with the use of 4‐picolinium p‐chloro phenacylide as initiator

Abstract

The ylide 4‐picolinium, p‐chloro phenacylide‐initiated thermal polymerization of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) was studied. 4‐Picolinium p‐chloro phenacylide induces the thermal polymerization of ethyl methacrylate at 65°C. The rate of polymerization (Rp) rose as the initiator concentration increased from 2 × 10−3 to 4 × 10−3 M and the initiating exponent was computed as 1.9. The Rp decreased as the concentration of ylide increased from 6 × 10−2 to 1M. The greater initiator concentration also affected the molecular weight inversely. The polymerization was carried out at different temperatures and the overall activation energy was computed as 4.08 Kcal/mol. Polymerization was inhibited in the presence of hydroquinone as a radical scavenger. Kinetic studies and other data show that the overall polymerization takes place in a radical mechanism. The various kinetic parameters, such as the rate and average degree of polymerization, molecular weight, and energy of activation of the present system, were evaluated.