ESR of free radical reactions in gamma-irradiated ethylene–propylene-based terpolymers. II

The gamma irradiation at liquid nitrogen temperature of dicyclopentadiene, 2-methylennorbornene, and cyclopentadienyl-5-endo-norbor-2-enyl-methane-based ethylene–propylene terpolymers leads to the formation of macroradicals of the alkyl type by loss of hydrogen atoms from the ethylene–propylene chains. When warmed almost to glass transition temperature these primary alkyl species decay and generate new radicals by the double-bond addition and/or H abstraction from the unsaturations. The nature of the radical products was determined by ESR and MO methods