Vinyl polymerization. III. Polymerization of acenaphthylene

Polymerization of acenaphthylene by boron trifluoride‐ether complex as catalyst was carried out in benzene solution of various concentrations of the catalyst over a range of temperatures from 20 to 50°C. Over‐all rate of the polymerization was found to be of the first order both for the initial concentration of the monomer and for that of the catalyst: Activation energy required in the reaction was calculated to be 12.5 kcal./mole, and the molecular weight of polymers measured by the Gee osmometer was shown to be of the same order as found by previous workers.