End-group identity and its effect on the thermal degradation of poly(butylcyanoacrylate)

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.