Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The effect of the thermodynamic strength of the solvent used in the copolymerization of mono‐ and bifunctional monomers on the molecular‐topologic structure of soluble copolymers with bridge bonds was investigated. The investigation was carried out taking as an example radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 9,10‐anthrylenedimethyl dimethacrylate. The presence of anthracene groups in the molecules of the crosslinking agent made it possible to follow the number of intra‐ and interchain bridge bonds formed in the polymer system. Toluene/octane mixtures with an octane content from 0 to 35 vol.‐% were used as solvents of different thermodynamic strengths with respect to PMMA. It was found that over a narrow range of changes in the composition of the solvent (from 30 to 33 vol.‐% of octane) the values of <jats:italic>M̄</jats:italic><jats:sub>n</jats:sub> and [η] of the copolymers increase drastically. It is shown that this increase is due to an increase in the number of interchain crosslinks occurring when the strength of the solvent under the copolymerization conditions used decreases.</jats:p>