Copolymerization of monomethyl maleate and ‐fumarate with styrene

Abstract The copolymerization of monomethyl maleate (MMM) or monomethyl fumarate (MMF) with styrene is investigated. The dependence of the copolymerization rates on the composition of the monomer mixture and the monomer reactivity ratios r are determined. An identical structure of the MMM and MMF polymer radicals was found, that is the k 21 ‐values of both copolymerization systems are equal (monomer 1 ≡ styrene; monomer 2 ≡ MMM or MMF). From this knowledge the difference of the copolymerization rates between MMM and MMF can be attributed to the k 12 ‐values.