(Example for butyl acrylate)
Initiator breaks down smoothly to generate a low, steady-state concentration of radicals.
Monomer adds quickly to the small number of growing chains present at any given time.
(Disproportionation in this example)
Termination is a bimolecular process, and occurs when two growing chain ends find each other.
All chain polymerizations have the steps of initiation, propagation, and termination. These three steps are completely independent, each occuring with different kinetics and chemical mechanism. One can visualize these processes by the "factory" model.
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