Free-Radical copolymerization of N-vinylsuccinimide with butyl acrylate in the presence of zinc chloride and aluminum chloride

The free-radical copolymerization of N-vinylsuccinimide with butyl acrylate performed in dimethyl sulfoxide and benzyl alcohol in the presence of zinc chloride and aluminum chloride as complexing agents is studied. Under the given conditions, the reactivity ratios are determined. It is shown that zinc chloride influences the electron-density distribution only in butyl acrylate molecules. It is found that benzyl alcohol retards the total rate of polymerization. The character of the monomer-unit distribution in copolymer macromolecules is described.