PMAA (polymethacrylic acid) polymerized by gamma-irradiation in electric field forms six-membered cyclic anhydride during heating process and the enthalpy of PMAA anhydridization was determined by DSC. Why the endothermic peak of PMAA anhydridization in DSC curve between 200 and 300degreesC appears is particularly explained by calculation. The relations between applied electric field and the enthalpy of PMAA anhydridization are studied. The results show that, with the increases of the intensity of electric field in polymerization, the enthalpy of PMAA forming anhydrides nonlinearly increase, which might be related to orientation of carboxylic acid groups of the PMAA in an electric field. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.