ABSTRACT
I. MODEL REACTIONS The mechanism of initiation of anionic polymerization of vinyl monomers with alkyllithium compounds and other organometallic compounds is complicated by association and cross-association phenomena in hydrocarbon solvents and by the presence of a variety of ionic species in polar media. As a consequence, several simple addition reactions of alkyllithium initiators to vinyl-type compounds have been utilized as models for these initiation reactions without the added complication of concurrent propagation that occurs with vinyl monomers.
