FUNCTIONAL MONOMERS AND POLYMERS .19. COPOLYMERIZATION OF VINYL MONOMERS CONTAINING NUCLEIC-ACID BASES

Taking into account the specific base-base interaction existing between nucleic acid molecules, the authors studied the free-radical copolymerization of N- beta -methacryloyloxethyl derivative of uracil with that of adenine at 60C in various solvents. N- beta -Methacryloyloxyethyltheophylline as well as methyl methacrylate were used also as comonomers. From the data on the rates in different comonomer feed ratios and the r//1 and r//2 values obtained, copolymerizability was discussed in some detail. The results suggest that the interaction between uracil and adenine bases plays a role in the copolymerization behavior.