It is shown that when methacrylic acid is polymerized in an aqueous system, the stereochemical configuration of the polymer, deduced by observation of the high resolution NMR spectra of polymethyl methacrylate samples prepared by methylation, is markedly influenced by the pH of the system. Syndiotactic propagation is favored at higher pH, presumably because coulombic repulsion between negatively charged monomer and negatively charged growing polymer radicals increases the free energy of activation for isotactic monomer placement.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
F. A. Bovey (1963) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: