The evolution of the Raman spectrum of 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacryla
te (TMSPM) during polymerization processes which take place in different ch
emical reactions is reported. TMSPM is a monomer which has both a methoxide
function and a carbon-carbon double bond and is of great interest as precu
rsor to obtain organic-inorganic hybrid glasses hosting chromophores or opt
ically active molecules for a large variety of photonic applications. By ch
anging the reaction conditions, the hydrolysis of TMSPM is achieved by mean
s of polar solvents, or an organic polymerization by using a radical starte
r: according to the process, the optical, mechanical and chemical propertie
s of the final product show large variations which can be tailored for spec
ific uses. These reactions were monitored through micro-Raman spectroscopy
and a correlation between the vibrational spectra and the degree of organic
and inorganic polymerization was obtained. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd.