2-(3,4-Methdioxyphenyl)-4,6-bis(trichloromethyl)- 1,3,5-triazine (MBTTR) was used as a photoinitiator for the polymerization of acrylate monomer. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy was used to investigate the photochemical behavior during the photo-physical process. The photopolymerization kinetics were monitored by real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The polymerization rates of the acrylates were significantly higher than those of the methacrylates. When MBTTR induced the polymerization of trimethylol-propane triacrylate, there was an optimum polymerization rate and the final conversion was obtained at 0.1 wt % MBTTR. MBTTR was an inefficient photoinitiator for ethyl vinyl. The final conversions of tripropylene glycol diacrylate induced by MBTTR and triazine/1,3-benzodioxole were similar. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 121:2013-2017, 2011