Poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) was synthesised using triphenylphosphane and pyri
dine initiators. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight
mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy were used to confirm that the initi
ator remains as a chain end group. The prepared polymers were subjected to
thermal degradation and re-analysed with results that show the loss of the
initiator end group for the pyridine-initiated polymer, but not for that in
itiated with triphenylphosphane. Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrom
etry was used to observe the presence of the pyridine initiator in the vola
tile degradation products.