Template-Controlled Oligomerization. The Search for Bimolecular Termination

Bimolecular termination was probed in benzene and in methyl isobutyrate using exogenous terminator and a previously described template system effective in controlling oligoselectivity in the free-radical-mediated polymerization of methyl methacrylate. As expected, increasing amounts of added terminator led to a decrease in intramolecular termination (cyclization). However, differences in reactivity profiles with different added terminators in the two solvents are consistent with the intervention of solvent-enforced control of chain–template dynamics.