Studies of the polymerization of diallyl compounds. XXV. Gel point in the polymerization of diallyl esters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids

Studies on gelation in the radical polymerization of diallyl dicarboxylates have been conducted by Simpson,9,11 Gordon,10 and Oiwa.13 However, the results obtained have not always been consistent and are still far from full elucidations. In this paper, the gel point in the polymerization of diallyl aromatic dicarboxylates, including diallyl phthalate (DAP), diallyl isophthalate (DAI), and diallyl terephthalate (DAT) is experimentally reexamined in detail and discussed according to Gordon's theory; the discrepancy between actual and theoretical gel point conversion was quite large and was enhanced in the order DAT > DAI > DAP. Moreover, from detailed inquiry into the primary chain length of the prepolymer it is suggested that the intramolecular chain transfer reaction plays an important role in the polymerization of diallyl ester accompanying the intramolecular cyclization reaction. The polydispersity coefficient (Pw,0/Pn,0) of the initial prepolymer of DAP is also estimated to be 2.0 from the extrapolation of Pw/Pn to zero conversion.