The microemulsion copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile in an n-butanol/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/oil/water microemulsion system was studied. The solubilization sites of the two monomers were determined with an NMR technique. The results showed that the solubilization behaviors of the two monomers were quite different. Most of the styrene was solubilized in the palisade layer of the microemulsion, whereas the acrylonitrile had an equilibrium distribution in the aqueous phase and palisade layer of the microemulsion. The reactivity ratios of styrene and acrylonitrile in the microemulsion system were different from those in other media. The effect of the monomer feed composition on the copolymerization kinetics was investigated, and the mechanism of nucleation of the latex particles was examined. The experimental results showed that the copolymerization loci were changed from the microemulsion droplets to the aqueous phase when the concentration of acrylonitrile in the monomer feed reached approximately 80%; this could be further proved by the effect of the monomer feed composition on the copolymerization kinetics. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.