Herein we report the living/controlled radical polymerization of ethyl and n-butyl acrylates
mediated by β-sulfinyl nitroxides at temperatures below 90 °C. This study examined the effect of the
persistent radical stereochemistry on the polymerization kinetics of ethyl acrylate. Experiments were
carried out in the presence of alkoxyamines based on 1-phenylethyl transient radicals bearing a 4-hydrogen
or a 4-(methyl carboxylate) group, and two enantiomerically pure mixtures of N-tert-butyl-N-(1-tert-butyl-2-ethylsulfinyl)propyl nitroxide (BESN); i.e., a 1:1 S
S
R
β
R
α/R
S
S
β
S
α and a 1:1 R
S
R
β
R
α/S
S
S
β
S
α racemic
mixtures. The dissociation rate constants (k
d) of the alkoxyamines and poly(ethyl acrylate) chains capped
by both nitroxide racemic mixtures were determined by ESR spectroscopy measurements. Kinetic and
ESR studies of ethyl acrylate polymerization experiments allowed the determination of the equilibrium
constants (K
90) and the rate constants of combination (k
c
90) for each system. The rate constants of
combination were found to be slightly dependent on the nitroxide stereochemistry whereas an order of
magnitude difference was observed for the rate constants of dissociation. Then, well-defined poly(ethyl
acrylate) and poly(n-butyl acrylate) were prepared, at 90 °C, from alkoxyamines based on the R
S
R
β
R
α/S
S
S
β
S
α nitroxide diastereomers.