"Living"/controlled radical polymerization of butyl methacrylate

A new efficient initiator/catalyst system for the controlled radical polymerization of butyl methacrylate was reported. With this initiating system, the number-average molecular weights of the obtained polymers increased in direct proportion with monomer conversion, and the molecular weight distributions (MWDs) were narrow throughout the reactions (1. 3<M̄_w/M̄_n<1. 4). This system employed CH₂C1₂ as the initiator, the reaction mixture of 1 mol equiv. of dichloride iron (FeCl₂ 4H₂O) and 2 mol equiv. of triphenylphosphine(PPh₃) as the catalyst. The polymerization of butyl methacrylate initiated by trichloromethane and tetra- chloromethane were also discussed respectively.