Radical copolymerization of cyclic diarsine with vinyl monomers

1,2,4,5-Tetramethyltetrahydrodiarsenine (1), a cyclic diarsine compound, was stirred with styrene and a catalytic amount of 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as a radical initiator at 80 degreesC for 8 h in toluene to give a copolymer containing arsenic atoms in the backbone. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) chromatogram of the copolymer showed a single peak. The number-average molecular weight of the copolymer was estimated to be more than 10,000 by GPC analysis (CHCl3, polystyrene standards). The structure of the copolymer was confirmed by the H-1 NMR and C-13 NMR spectra. According to the integral ratio of peaks in the H-1-NMR spectrum, the content of 1 in the copolymer was smaller compared to the monomer feed ratio of 1. Radical copolymerization of 1 with methyl methacrylate also provided the corresponding copolymer in the presence of AIBN, whereas copolymerization with vinyl acetate yielded no polymeric material. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.