KINETICS OF COPOLYMERIZATION OF 1-VINYLBENZIMIDAZOLE WITH ACRYLIC-ACID

Relative reactivities and mechanism of radical copolymerization of 1-vinylbenzimidazole with acrylic acid in bulk and in various solvents have been studied. The higher reactivity of acrylic acid and the tendency to alternation of mononer units in the copolymer chain are shown. The reaction orders towards the product of monomers concentrations n1 = 1.07 +/- 0.05 and towards the acrylic acid concentration n2 = 2.1 +/- 0.1 and the fixed position of a maximum of the copolymerization rate independent on the initial concentration of monomers point out the complex mechanism of chain propagation. In the protonodonor solvent (aqueous ethanol) the complexes 1-vinylbenzimidazole : : acrylic acid of the 1 : 2 composition participate in the chain growth, while in aprotonic CCl4 these complexes are of the 1 : 1 composition.