THERMAL-PROPERTIES OF COPOLYMERS OF ACRYLONITRILE AND N-METHACRYLOYLOXY PHTHALIMIDE DERIVATIVES, USING DIFFERENT SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES

N-Methacryloyloxy phthalimide (NMph) and N-methacryloyloxy tetrachloro phthalimide (NMTClph) monomers were prepared by the reaction of methac rylic acid with N-hydroxy phthalimide and N-hydroxy tetrachlorophthali mide in the presence of dicyclohexyl carbodimide (DCCI). The prepared monomers were polymerized or copolymerized with acrylonitrile (AN). Th e prepared homopolymers as well as the copolymers were characterized b y a variety of analytical, spectral and thermal methods. The thermal b ehaviour in nitrogen of the homopolymers as well as the copolymers was investigated using differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermograv imetric (TG) techniques. NMph and NMTClph were found to initiate the n itrile oligomerization in the copolymers upon heating. A mechanism for the degradation and initiation of the methacryloyloxy units in the ni trile copolymers is proposed; this was confirmed by interpreting the f ragmentation patterns of the obtained mass spectra of the two monomers , as well as the IR spectra of the copolymers after heating.