Method for setting polymerization condition and method for manufacturing optical material

A polymerization condition setting device comprising:

• a physical property acquisition unit configured to:
• heat a composition which includes a polymerizable reactive compound including an episulfide compound, and a polymerization catalyst, and maintain the composition at a predetermined temperature,
• acquire a physical property value a derived from a functional group,
• heat the composition and retain heat at a plurality of predetermined temperatures, wherein the acquiring the physical property value a is conducted before the heating, and
• acquire a physical property value b derived from a remaining functional group after maintaining each of the plurality of predetermined temperatures for predetermined times;
• a remaining functional group ratio calculating unit for calculating a remaining functional group ratio from the physical property value a and the physical property value b;
• a reaction rate coefficient calculating unit for calculating a reaction rate coefficient from the remaining functional group ratio, based on a predetermined reaction rate equation stored in a storage unit;
• and
• a polymerization temperature calculating unit for back-calculating a plurality of polymerization temperatures at predetermined time intervals within a polymerization time based on the reaction rate equation, using the reaction rate coefficient, such that the following conditions are satisfied;
• wherein the conditions are comprised of selecting and determining an average polymerization rate from a range of more than 0%/hr and 3.0%/hr or less in a range of 0% or more and 20% or less of a polymerization ratio,
• calculating multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals within the time when the polymerization rate is range of 0% or more and 20% or less, and
• calculating a standard deviation by the positive square root of the variance of the multiple polymerization rates and the average polymerization rate, and
• satisfying 0.8%/hr or less of the calculated standard deviation.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more instructions for:

• acquiring a physical property value a derived from a functional group of a polymerizable reactive compound including an episulfide compound, and a polymerization catalyst;
• heating the composition and maintaining the composition at a predetermined temperature, wherein the acquiring the physical property value a is conducted before the heating,
• acquiring a physical property value b derived from a remaining functional group after maintaining each of the plurality of predetermined temperatures for predetermined times;
• calculating a remaining functional group ratio from the physical property value a and the physical property value b;
• calculating a reaction rate coefficient from the remaining functional group ratio, based on a predetermined reaction rate equation stored in a storage unit;
• back-calculating a plurality of polymerization temperatures at predetermined time intervals within a polymerization time based on the reaction rate equation, using the reaction rate coefficient, such that the following conditions are satisfied:
• wherein the conditions are comprised of selecting and determining an average polymerization rate from a range of more than 0%/hr and 3.0%/hr or less in a range of 0% or more and 20% or less of a polymerization ratio,
• calculating multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals within the time when the polymerization rate is range of 0% or more and 20% or less, and
• calculating a standard deviation by the positive square root of the variance of the multiple polymerization rates and the average polymerization rate, and
• satisfying 0.8%/hr or less of the calculated standard deviation;
• and
• carrying out a polymerization reaction according to the multiple polymerization rates at predetermined time intervals.