1,1-Di(p-tolyl)ethylene: a versatile radical scavenger

The radical scavenging activity of 1,1-di(p-tolyl)ethylene (DTE) in the pho toinitiated crosslinking (UV-curing) of an acrylate formulation is shown, a nd compared with that of methyl alpha-methoxyacrylate, a capto-dative subst ituted olefin, and methyl atropate, respectively. 3-Cyano-2-propyl radicals , thermally generated from 1,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) are also effi ciently scavenged by DTE to form 1,4-dicyano-1,1,4,4-tetramethyl-2,2-di(p-t olyl)butane. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.