POLYMERIZATION BEHAVIOR OF A NEW VINYL THIOUREA DERIVATIVE

1-Methacryloyl-3-phenylthiourea (MAPTU) has been prepared and polymeri zed by a free-radical mechanism. The polymer formed has low molecular weight. The kinetic orders of the polymerization with respect to monom er and initiator, as well as the overall activation energy, were measu red and found to be those expected for a free-radical scheme. This new monomer showed a tendency for cyclization to give a six-membered hete rocycle. The effects of temperature and solvent on the rate of cycliza tion have been studied. MAPTU monomer and its homopolymer were found t o form complexes with several metal ions. The stability constants of s everal phenyl-substituted MAPTU with Cu were measured and a correlatio n between log K-X/K-H and the Hammett constant was established. The MA PTU-Cu and polyMAPTU-Cu complexes were prepared and their stability co nstants were calculated. MAPTU was copolymerized with styrene and acry lonitrile. The reactivity ratios have been calculated by several metho ds. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.