Comments on M.Yu. Zaremski, Chen Xin, A.P. Orlova, I.V. Blagodatskikh, and V.B. Golubev’s Paper “General Features and Specifics of the Kinetics of the Pseudoliving Radical Polymerization of 4-Vinylpyridine and Styrene Mediated by TEMPO”

Abstract

It is shown through a numerical experiment that, in the presence of extra (spontaneous) initiation, the equilibrium constant and the ratio between the rates of quadratic and reversible terminations cannot affect the rate of pseudoliving radical polymerization. The kinetics of the process in the steady-state region is determined only by the ratio between the rates of additional initiation and quadratic chain termination. Discrepancies between experimental data and theory must be explained with allowance for side reactions that can occur in these complex systems rather than via re-examination of the reliably verified mechanism of pseudo-living radical polymerization.