AbstractThe copolymerization of the zinc chloride complex of acrylonitrile in excess acrylonitrile with α‐methylstyrene in the presence of lauroyl peroxide is described. Elemental and proton NMR analyses indicate the equimolar nature of the copolymer product.13C NMR examination shows that this copolymer is alternating in structure and suggests that the steric placements of the copolymer are random in nature; that complexation does not lead to a stereoselective enchainment mode is the implication of our results. A copolymer which appears to be similar to our product has been prepared by other workers using Al(C2H5)1.5Cl1.5complexation. Our conclusions regarding copolymer stereoregularity differ from thei