Grafting onto wool, XVII. Graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate by use of VO(acac)2 as initiator. Comparison of monomer reactivities

Abstract Graft copolymerization of acceptor monomers methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate onto Himachali wool fiber has been studied in aqueous medium by using vanadium oxyacetyl acetonate as initiator at 40, 50, 60, and 70°C. Graft copolymerization was carried out for various reaction periods and nitric acid was found to catalyse the reaction. Percentage of grafting and percent efficiency have been determined as functions of concentration of nitric acid, concentration of initiator, concentration of monomer, time, and temperature. Under optimum conditions, methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate afforded maximum grafting to the extent of 28.4 and 18.5%, respectively. Relative reactivities of methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate towards grafting have been compared with those of methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid and vinyl acetate reported earlier from this laboratory. Different vinyl monomers showed the following reactivity order: MMA > MA > EA > AAc > VAc. Several grafting experiments were carried out in the presence of various additives which included tert‐butylhydroperoxide (TBHP), dimethylsulfoxide, pyridine, and dimethylformamide. Only TBHP was found to enhance grafting to a considerable extent, other additives decrease percent grafting of both methyl acrylate and ethyl acrylate.