Effects of metal salts on polymerization. Part IV. Polymerization of N‐vinylcarbazole initiated by oxidizing metal nitrates

The polymerization of N‐vinylcarbazole (VCZ) in ethylene dichloride, acetone, benzene, and dioxane with cupric nitrate, ferric nitrate, and ceric ammonium nitrate as catalyst was studied. In all cases the polymerization seemed to be of a cationic nature, judged by copolymerization with styrene. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was made for the polymerization system and also for a system containing N‐ethylcarbazole instead of VCZ. Singlet ESR spectra were observed for all systems containing ceric salt and for some systems containing ferric salt but not for systems containing cupric salt. The ESR spectra indicated the formation of an ion radical by electron transfer between the oxidizing metal salt and the carbazole derivatives. Mechanisms of initiation other than electron transfer were less likely, and it was concluded that the initiation process was most likely to be of the electron transfer type.