Poly(α‐methyleneglutarimide)s from radical polymerization of α‐methyleneglutarimides

ABSTRACT α‐Methyleneglutaric acid, a metabolite of niacin (nicotinic acid), can be easily converted to its cyclic anhydride. We report here the first conversion of α‐methyleneglutaric anhydride to (a series of) α‐methyleneglutarimides. These monomers can be radically polymerized to the title polymers. These have relatively high glass transition properties compared to the lower homologs derived from itaconimides (α‐methylenesuccinimides). © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1020–1026 α‐Methyleneglutarimides (green) have been made for the first time from α‐methyleneglutarate, a potentially bioresourcable monomer. They can be polymerized to poly(α‐methyleneglutarimides) (blue). In turn, these homopolymers can be chemically recycled by thermal depolymerization.