9.2. Vinyl Esters and Ethers
Vinyl esters and ethers can be regarded as dcrivatives of the hypothetical vinyl alcohol, i. e., the enol form of acetaldehyde. As such, they are readily saponified in weakly acidic solution to acetaldehyde and the corresponding acid or alcohol. Their industrial use as an intermediate is based solely on the readily polymcrizable vinyl double bond. Vinyl acetate (VAM, vinyl acetate monomer) is the most impor- tant of the esters of vinyl alcohol, mainly due to its use in the manufacture of homo- and copolymer dispersions. Vinyl ethers, which are versatile monomers with wide application, have a significantly smaller production volumc than the vinyl esters