Insights into relevant mechanistic aspects about the induction period of Cu0/Me6TREN-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization†
Abstract
There is a controversial debate about the mechanism of the Cu0-catalyzed radical polymerization. Herein, a comparative analysis of a series of reactions catalyzed by different valent copper shows that the induction period and the subsequent autoaccelerated polymerization of a Cu0/Me6TREN-catalyzed system originate from the accumulation of soluble copper species, and CuI is still a powerful activator under its disproportionation favored conditions.