A-Methylbenzyl vinyl ether

Partially stereoregular copolymers have been obtained by asymmetric polymer synthesis using maleic anhydride as one comonomer and optically active a-methylbenzyl methacrylate (216) or a-methylbenzyl vinyl ether (217) as the other comonomer. These copolymers were optically active even after removal of their a-methylbenzyl groups (Scheme 25). Analogous results have been obtained by Minoura s group (218, 219) on copolymerizing optically active a,3-disubstituted olefins with achiral vinyl monomers. 

Moreover, Schmitt and Schuerch [10] obtained the same results as described above in the copolymerization of l-a-methylbenzyl vinyl ether (XV) with maleic anhydride. 

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