AbstractThe paper presents a study of the radical polymerization of cyclohexyl acrylate (CHA) in the presence of ZnCl2. It was found by IR,1H NMR, and13C NMR spectroscopy that a complex of ZnCl2with CHA is formed. For copolymerization of CHA with vinylidene chloride, both theQ‐ ande‐value of CHA increased with the ZnCl2concentration. The initiation rate andk p2/ktwere determined using DPPH as an inhibitor. It was found that ZnCl2did not affect the initiation rate. Thekpvalue of CHA was determined to be about 2720 1 · mol−1· s−1in the absence and 4710 1 · mol−1· s−1in the presence of ZnCl2by the rotating sector method. The enhanced polymerization rate of CHA in the presence of ZnCl2can be ascribed to the largekpvalue. The termination rate constant is not significantly affected by the