Synthesis and polymerization of fluorinated acrylic monomers substituted in α‐position, 2. Synthesis and polymerization of 2‐perfluorohexylethyl α‐acetoxyacrylate

The synthesis of 2‐perfluorohexylethyl α‐acetoxyacrylate ( b ) H 2 CC(OAc)CO 2 C 2 H 4 C 6 F 13 ( 1 ) was performed in two steps starting from pyruvic acid and 2‐perfluorohexylethanol (3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8‐tridecafluoro‐1‐octanol) with an overall yield of about 50%. Esterification of pyruvic acid with the adequate fluorinated alcohol was followed by enol acetylation to give monomer 1 . Homopolymerization and copolymerization of 1 are easily carried out. From the kinetic study of the homopolymerization and copolymerization of 1 with styrene, the numerical values of the ratio square of the rate constant of propagation over the rate constant of termination k / k t and of the copolymerization reactivity ratios r 1 and r 2 of the two monomers were determined.