PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF HIGH POLYMERS - 17. MICELLAR EFFECT ON THE PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION OF METHYL METHACRYLATE WITH FERROCENE-CARBON TETRACHLORIDE.

It is well known that ferocene (FcH) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl//4) form a C-T complex that dissociates into ferricenium chloride and trichloromethyl radical under ultraviolet light irradiation. Tsubakiyama et al. and McGinniss reported the photopolymerization of vinyl monomers, using FcH-halides as initiators. Tsubakiyama et al. noted that ferricenium ion (FcH** plus ) formed in the photoreaction could act as a radical scavenger. If FcH** plus is removed from the polymerization medium and reduced to FcH, the disadvantages described are removed. On the basis of this idea, photoinduced suspension and emulsion polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA), using the combination of FcH and CCl//4 as an initiator, were investigated. In the experiments, ascorbic acid was used to reduce FcH** plus , thus increasing the rate of polymerization and preventing foam coloration of the water layer.