Conformational and neighboring effects in graft polymerization of acrolein onto imidazole‐containing polymer

Abstract

Abstract The graft polymerizations of acrolein (AL) onto an imidazole (Im)‐containing polymer, such as a homopolymer of 4(5)‐vinylimidazole (VIm) and several copolymers of VIm‐methyl vinyl ketone, VIm‐butyl acrylate, and VIm‐2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate, have been kinetically carried out in ethanol‐water mixture at 0°C. The graft polymerization rate R p and the degree of graft polymerization increased with increasing concentration of water in the solvent. Moreover, the R p of the copolymer system having the hydrophobic group as the side chain decreased in comparison with the homopolymer system. Polymerizations of AL in the presence of propionamide or poly‐acrylamide (AAm) induced by Im were also kinetically carried out in ethanol‐water mixture. The R p was also affected by the conformational change of poly‐AAm. These results were discussed by assuming the conformation of the parent polymer in ethanol‐water mixture.