The action of methacrylic acid onto tetraglycidyl methylene dianiline, tetraglycidyl sulfone dianiline, triglycidyl triphenylmethane (TACTIX), and epoxy novolac resins was performed using different catalysts. In each case, a comparative study of these catalysts was investigated depending upon the polarity of the solvent and of the temperature. Chromium complexes are better in low polar solvents. The reactions were monitored by H-1-NMR, by epoxide titration, and by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and the reactivity of these resins could be compared. Finally, the study of these materials obtained after radical and photochemical cross-linking, especially by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), shows that these materials exhibit high T-g's (200 degrees C for methacrylated TACTIX) compared to those of the corresponding multiepoxides cured by diamines. (C) 1993 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.