Effect of Fe(III) on the polymerization of butyl methacrylate initiated by a charge‐transfer mechanism

The effect of the Lewis acid, iron(III) tris(oxalato)ferrate(III) tetrahydrate (Fe‐[Fe(C 2 O 4 ) 3 ].4H 2 O) (A) on the polymerization of butyl methacrylate (BuMA) initiated by a charge‐transfer mechanism has been studied in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 60°C. 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) was used as a nitrogen donor compound to initiate the polymerization in the presence of carbon tetrabromide (CBr 4 ). Induction periods are observed for the polymerization initiated by DNPH and CBr 4 . The rate constant at 60°C for the polymerization of BuMA in the presence of A is 1.70×10 5 L/mols −1 . The molecular weight of polymers decreases with the increase of [ A ]. A probable reaction mechanism is proposed to explain the observed results. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.