Methyl Methacrylate → Methacrylic Acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

The behenyl half ester of a C24 -C28 alkenyl succinic anhydride polymer produced generally according to the procedure set forth for preparation of Polymer B disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,893 was supplied as a solution in toluene, and this solvent was evaporated to leave a waxy solid. This wax, i.e. the reagent, was insoluble in methyl methacrylate monomers at temperatures up to 50° C. A monomer solution containing the wax reagent was formed of 85 g methyl methacrylate, 5 g methacrylic acid and 10 g of the wax by heating all to 65° C., at which temperature the wax dissolved into the monomers. The resultant solution was then dispersed in 200 g water containing 3 g polyacrylic acid (molecular weight about 2 million) in a one liter enclosed vessel provided with a stirrer for controlled agitation of the contents within the vessel. Under constant agitation, 1 g of azodiisobutyronitrile as the polymerisation initiator was added. Suspension polymerisation was continued with constant agitation for two hours after which time the product within the vessel consisted of a suspension of small polymeric beads in the aqueous medium. These beads were separated from the aqueous medium, washed, allowed to cool to ambient temperature and dried to give free flowing beads of from 0.2 to 1 mm in diameter with 10% by weight of the waxy ester polymer reagent dispersed in the polymeric matrix.

Provenance & Evidence