ATRP of methyl methacrylate and styrene catalysed by homobimetallic ruthenium-vinylidene complexes

Styrene and Me methacrylate were subjected to atom transfer radical polymn. using a homobimetallic ruthenium-vinylidene complex (p-cymene)RuCl2/(PCy3)(styrylidene)RuCl2 as catalyst and Et 2-bromoisobutyrate (EBiB), 1-phenylethyl bromide, or CCl4 as initiators (in toluene). The polymns. proceeded in a controlled fashion and the polydispersities were quite narrow. Using (EBiB), an induction period was obsd. The polymn. of styrene ceased after 80% conversion because of the degrdn. of the complex into inactive species. With both monomers and CCl4 as initiator, the mol. wt. of the polymers was lower than the calcd. value, i.e., the initiation efficiency was >1.