The penultimate unit effect in the radical copolymerization of vinyl chloride and unsaturated glycidyl ethers

The radical copolymerization of vinyl chloride with unsaturated glycidyl et hers (allyl glycidyl ether, ethylene glycol vinyl glycidyl ether, and glyci dyl methacrylate) was studied in bulk, in a toluene solution, and in suspen sion, The reactivity ratios were calculated, and the relative activities of the monomers and the parameters of copolymer microstructure were determine d. It is shown that the so-called penultimate unit effect is characteristic of all the systems studied. A correlation between a difference in the elec tron density on the carbons of a vinyl group in the unsaturated glycidyl et her monomers land in the corresponding radicals) and the penultimate unit e ffect was established.