Radical polymerization of 3‐methylene‐5,5′‐dimethyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone: A cyclic analog of N‐substituted methacrylamide

3‐Methylene‐5,5′‐dimethyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (α‐MDMP), a cyclic analog of N‐substituted methacrylamide, was synthesized and polymerized with α,α′‐azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in solution. Poly(α‐MDMP) is only soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at room temperature. Thermogravimetry of poly(α‐MDMP) showed 10% weight loss at 355°C in air and 400°C under nitrogen, respectively. The kinetics of α‐MDMP homopolymerization with AIBN was investigated in DMSO. The rate of polymerization (Rp) can be expressed by Rp = k[AIBN]0.49[α‐MDMP]1.0 and the overall activation energy has been calculated to be 73.2 kJ/mol. Monomer reactivity ratios in copolymerization of α‐MDMP (M2) with methyl methacrylate (M1) are r1 = 0.71 and r2 = 0.71, from which Q and e values of α‐MDMP are calculated as 0.75 and ‐0.43, respectively. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.