Remarkable Rate Enhancement Research Articles

Reactive oligomers. I. Preparation and polymerization of ethylene glycol bis(methyl fumarate)

AbstractEthylene glycol bis(methyl fumarate) (EGBMF) was prepared as a new type of divinyl compound and reactive oligomer: a needle crystal, m.p. 104.5°C. Homopolymerization of EGBMF was carried out in dioxane with 0.1 mol/L AIBN at [M] = 1 mol/L and 60°C; the rate of polymerization was estimated to be 4.44 × 10−6 mol/L s in a good agreement with diethyl fumarate (DEF). The cyclization constant Kc was obtained as 1.64 mol/L, being rather low compared with diallyl oxalate which is 1,9‐diene having two ester groups analogous to EGBMF. Gelatin occurred at about 35% conversion. Finally, the copolymerization of EGBMF (M1) with diallyl phthalate (DAP) (M2) is tentatively explored with the intention of the improvement of allyl resins in mechanical properties; remarkable rate enhancement was observed for copolymerization. The monomer reactivity ratios were estimated to be r1 = 0.96 and r2 = 0.025, the r1 value being reduced compared with the DEF‐DAP copolymerization system. These results are discussed from the standpoint of steric effect on the polymerization of fumarate as an internal olefin.