Polymerization of methyl methacrylate by a charge transfer mechanism with urea and iron (III) complex

Abstract

AbstractMethyl methacrylate (MMA) can be polymerized by a charge transfer complex formed by the interaction of urea, methyl methacrylate, and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in a nonaqueous solvent like dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The rate of polymerization can be accelerated by Lewis acids like Fe3+. This article reports the polymerization of MMA initiated by urea and CCl4 and accelerated with hexakisdimethylsulfoxide iron (III) perchlorate, [Fe(DMSO)6](ClO4)3, and A at 60°C. Definite induction periods were observed for the polymerization reaction initiated by urea and CCl4 alone, but the induction period completely vanished when the molar ratio of urea to A reached 6:1. The molecular weights of the polymers with 6:1 molar ratio of urea to A were higher than with urea alone. The rate constant for the polymerization of MMA in the presence of [Fe(urea)6]3+ was 1.03 × 10−5 1 mol−1 s−1 at 60°C. The transfer constant for CCl4 for polymerization with urea alone is 2.43 × 10−3 at 60°C.