Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>By radical copolymerization, thermostable copolymers of <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐(2‐chlorophenyl)maleimide (2CPMI), <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐(3‐chlorophenyl)maleimide (3CPMI) and <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐(4‐chlorophenyl)maleimide (4CPMI) with vinyl acetate were prepared. The values of reactivity ratios determined according to the Kelen‐Tüdős method are: <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>2CPMI</jats:sub> = 0,148 and <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>VA</jats:sub> = 0,049; <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>3CPMI</jats:sub> = 0,221 and <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>VA</jats:sub> = 0,032; <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>4CPMI</jats:sub> = 0,655 and <jats:italic>r</jats:italic><jats:sub>VA</jats:sub> = 0,0. The position of the Cl atom in the phenyl ring of CPMI influences the copolymerization kinetics. 2CPMI exhibits the strongest tendency for cross propagation, 4CPMI has the highest ability for homopolymerization. Vinyl acetate in all the three systems forms inactive radicals. The thermostability of all three copolymers is higher than that of the vinyl acetate homopolymer and decreases in the order poly(3CPMI‐<jats:italic>co</jats:italic>‐VA) > poly(4‐CPMI‐<jats:italic>co</jats:italic>‐VA) > poly(2CPMI‐<jats:italic>co</jats:italic>‐VA).</jats:p>