Reactivity Ratios of Butyl Acrylates in Radical Copolymerization with Methacrylates

Abstract

The reactivity ratios of four butyl acrylates versus methyl methacrylate and tert-butyl methacrylate were determined for their radical copolymerization in 2-butanone solution using the Jaacks method. The reactivity ratios values obtained were positively verified by substituting into the Alfrey-Goldfinger equation, yielding correct copolymer composition for a series of samples obtained from different initial mole fractions of the comonomers.

Keywords:

• Acrylate-methacrylate copolymers
• Isobutyl acrylate
• Jaacks method
• Methyl methacrylate
• n-Butyl acrylate
• Radical copolymerization
• Reactivity ratios
• sec-Butyl acrylate
• tert-Butyl acrylate
• tert-Butyl methacrylate

Notes

^a r _M  = reactivity ratio of the methacrylate.

^b r _A  = reactivity ratio of the acrylate monomer.