Polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by ozonates of tetramethylethene

It is confirmed that the major products of ozonolysis of tetramethylethene (TME) in butyl acetate at temperatures between -60 and 20 degreesC are the cyclic peroxides, acetone diperoxide and acetone triperoxide plus, at low t emperatures, species which may be open-chain oligoperoxides. Solutions of o zonized TME are able to initiate polymerizations of methyl methacrylate at temperatures above 60 degreesC. ESR spectroscopy has shown that acetone dip eroxide does not generate significant concentrations of radicals below 140 degreesC, so that the chief initiating species below this temperature must be acetone triperoxide and the oligoperoxides. Despite the fact that these species have different structures, indicated by their differing retention t imes in GC and also their different mass spectra, they behave kinetically a s one species, i.e. conversions to polymer after polymerization times of Ih in the presence of ozonized TME are identical regardless of ozonolysis tem perature. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.