CHAPTER 2: Fundamental Aspects of Living Polymerization

An overview of the fundamental aspects of living polymerization is presented. Topics include definition and historical development of living polymerization, diagnostic criteria for living polymerizations, and quantitative measures of degrees of livingness. Types of living polymerization systems are discussed including classical systems (all chains active all of the time) and reversible-deactivation systems, including degenerative transfer types. Specific additional topics discussed include kinetics of living polymerizations, nature of common chain breaking reactions and their effect on kinetics and molecular weight, effect of slow initiation, molecular weight distributions of classical and reversible-deactivation systems, and the concept of shelf-life and its relationship to the reversible-deactivation equilibrium.