The kinetics of radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methylacrylate with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as a phase-transfer catalyst

The phase-transfer radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methylacry late with hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide was investigated in (NH4)(2)S 2O8 aqueous-organic two-phase system at 55 degrees C and under nitrogen atm osphere. The rate of copolymerization was expressed in terms of quaternary ammonium ion and peroxydisulfate ion in the aqueous phase rather than the f ed concentrations of HTAB and (NH4)(2)S2O8. The observed initial rate of co polymerization was used to analyze the copolymerization mechanism with a cy clic phase-transfer initiation step.