PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ALTERNATING COPOLYMER OF alpha -METHYLSTYRENE AND ACRYLONITRILE MADE WITH ZINC CHLORIDE-PEROXIDE CATALYSIS.

The copolymerization of the zinc chloride complex of acrylonitrile in excess acrylonitrile with alpha -methylstyrene in the presence of lauroyl peroxide is described. Elemental and proton NMR analyses indicate the equimolar nature of the copolymer product. **1**3C NMR examination shows that this copolymer is alternating in structure and suggests that the steric placements of the copolymer are random in nature; that complexation does not lead to a stereoselective enchainment mode is the implication of the results presented. A copolymer which appears to be similar to the product obtained in this study has been prepared for by other workers using Al(C//2H//5)//1//. //5Cl//1//. //5 complexation. The authors' conclusions regarding copolymer stereoregularity differ from theirs.