The influence of molecular interaction on polymerization, 5. Copolymerization of benzyl methacrylate with maleic anhydride

Copolymerization of benzyl methacrylate (BMA) with maleic anhydride (MA), initiated by 2,2′‐azoisobutyronitrile at 70°C in chloroform or acetonitrile, were investigated. The complex formation between the two monomers in chloroform was studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The stability constant of the complex was found to be 0,25 l.mol−1. The following copolymerization reactivity ratios were found: in chloroform: rBMA = 0,188 ± 0,035 and rMA = 0,003 ± 0,005, in acetonitrile: rBMA = 0,116 ± 0,093 and rMA = 0,231 ± 0,027. By 1H NMR investigations it could be shown that the results correlate with the changes of the reactivity ratios depending on the solvent used.