In addition, many thanks to Hans Heuts for his insight into free radical kinetics. I would also like to thank Jim Hook, Hilda Stenda and Garry King for their help with NMR analysis. Thanks also to Judy Greenwood for believing in me and keeping me motivated throughout the write-up. Thanks to my parents, who have instilled in me the love of learning and have supported me through good and bad. What else can a daughter ask for? Lastly, but not least, I'd like to thank my husband Andrew, for being

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... ere when times were tough and managing to put up with it all, even while doing his own thesis. Thanks for your incredible patience and love. V and functional end group polymersl,2. Radical ring-opening also allows the incorporation of many functional groups, such as ethers, ester, amides and carbonates, into the backbone of polymers that could not be obtained by other free-radical methods. Ring-opening is driven by the favourable thermodynamics of bond breakage and the formation of a more stable radical species. Compounds that undergo radical ringopening polymerization reactions include carbocyclics such as cyclopropanes and cyclobutanes, spire compounds and cyclic acetals3-7. The cyclic acetals, in particular the cyclic ketene acetals, have generated much interest in the past ten years5,8-15and have been the subject of various reviewsl,2,6,7. Although there has been a considerable amount work done on these compounds, little kinetic or molecular weight data exists. It is the aim of this study to provide this information, as well as to provide some insight into the mechanisms of free-radical ring-opening po 1 ymerization. Chapter 5. In this chapter, the transfer to monomer constant for a-methyl styrene has been assessed with a view to understanding the effect of depropagation on the transfer reaction. Chapter 6. Based upon the outcomes of the preceding chapters, an overall summary of the findings will be made, along with some recommendations for further work.