Mass spectrometry of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). As a catalyst copper(I)thiocyanate (CuSCN) was used with N-n-pentyl-2-pyridylmethanimine as a ligand. Infrared spectroscopy and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry Were used to characterize the synthesized polymers. From this it was clear that at least to some extent thiocyanate was present as end groups of the PMMA chains. This observation is discussed in view of a phenomenon called halogen exchange, which has been reported before for bromine/chlorine exchange in ATRP. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.