Radical polymerization behavior of vinyl phenylsufonylacetate

Vinyl phenylsulfonylacetate (VPSA) was prepared by the reaction of vinyl chloroacetate with sodium benzenesulfinate in acetone in the presence of a phase-transfer catalyst. VPSA showed a high radical homopolymerizability similar to vinyl acetate in spite of the fact that VPSA carries a phenyl group. The polymerization of VPSA with 2,2′-azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) was kinetically investigated in acetone. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was 27.6 kcal/mol. The polymerization rate (Rp) at 50 °C was expressed by Rp=k[MAIB]0.67[VPSA]1.1. Poly(VPSA) showed exothermic (27 °C) and endothermic (57 °C) peaks in its DCS curve, corresponding to crystallization and melting. The tacticity of poly(VPSA) was estimated to be rr=29, mr=49, and mm=22.