AbstractFilms of poly(ethyl acrylate) were irradiated in a vacuum with ultraviolet light of 254 mμ wavelength, and changes in their swelling, solubility, and intrinsic viscosity were determined. The results were interpreted as being due to simultaneous crosslinking and chain scission. The ratio of the rates of the two processes was determined from solubility data by means of Charlesby's theory and it was found that two crosslinked units form for each chain scission. Crosslink contents obtained in this way and the swelling data were used to evaluate χ1, the polymer‐solvent interaction constant, in the Flory‐Rehner theory. It was found that χ1 was not a constant with the solvent used, which was acetone. However, using an average χ1 of 0.46, which has also been reported from osmotic pressure data, crosslink contents calculated from the Flory‐Rehner theory were in good agreement with those from solubility data for values less than 10−5moles of crosslinked uni
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