Kinetics and heats of copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile monomers have been copolymerized in aqueous solution and at room temperature, in the presence of an emulsifying agent, using the redox catalyst, ferrous ions, and hydrogen peroxide. The copolymer latex resembles that of polymethyl methacrylate similarly prepared. The rate and extent of conversion of monomers to copolymer were obtained by independent estimations of both monomers in the reaction mixture. Heats of copolymerization have been measured using a wide ratio of initial methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile concentrations. The values lie between those of the respective homopolymerizations. The results are discussed in terms of the steric hindrances in a polymer composed entirely of a 1,1‐disubstituted monomer being reduced by the incorporation of a monosubstituted monomer into the chain.