Thermal-Degradation of Polymers. I. Integrity of Monomer Derived From Thermal-Degradation of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) and Poly(Methacrylonitrile)

A random copolymer of methyl methacrylate and its (D5)analogue has been used to show that thermal degradation of the polymer regenerates the original monomer units. A similar result has been obtained for poly( methacrylonitrile ). In each case, thermal degradation at 200° produced mainly the (D0)- and (D5)-species, while at higher temperatures some (D2)- and (D3)-ions were observed in the mass spectrum of the recovered monomer.