Substituted styrenes maleic anhydride copolymers-measurements of the reactivity ratios with high conversions and relations between molecular masses and viscosity

Three substituted styrenes were respectively synthesized by reaction of ben zoic acid, acetic acid, and methanol with vinylbenzylchloride, then copolym erized with maleic anhydride. The measurements of the reactivity ratios of these three copolymerizations were carried out with a method using high con versions of the reactions. The results show a good correlation between a li near alternating structure for one of the copolymers and an alternating and a partially crosslinked structure for the two others. The copolymerization s were also performed with various percentages of initiator, giving similar proportions of incorporated monomers in the resulting products, and a rela tion between their viscosities and their weight molecular masses was presen ted. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.