Radical copolymerization of chiral monomer, (-)-menthyl 2-acetamidoacrylate (1), with low ceiling temperature (T-c = 62.0 degrees C in [monomer]-1.0 mol/L) and styrene or methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been studied near ceiling temperature (60 degrees C) and at the temperature lower than T-c (30 degrees C. Monomer reactivity ratios and Alfrey-Price Q and e-values of I are estimated to be r(1) = 0.27, r(2) = 0.067, Q = 3.0, and e = 1.2 at 30 degrees C, and r(1), = 0.32 and r(2) = 0.046 at 60 degrees C for the copolymerization of 1 (M-1) and styrene (M-2) suggesting an alternating tendency at both temperatures. whereas for the copolymerization of 1 (M-1) and MMA (M-2) r(1), and 1.2 are estimated to be 2.9 and 0.019 at 30 degrees C, respectively, indicating longer sequence length of 1. Specific rotation and circular dichroism of the resulting copolymer indicate that styrene, in particular, is effectively incorporated into a helical copolymer structure at 60 degrees C and even only 25 mol% incorporation of the acetamidoacrylate unit in the copolymer induces the helix formation in solution. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.